International Data Corporation (IDC) has announced its Future of Connectedness predictions for 2023 and beyond. The transition to hybrid work and more distributed workforces has created greater expectations from employees, customers, and partners for seamless anytime anywhere digital interactions to mission-critical systems and processes.

As businesses look ahead to 2023 and beyond, they will face added stressors – economic uncertainty, regional conflicts, supply chain constraints, and a shortage of workers and staffing. While these challenges will play a role in key decisions, IDC data shows that 81% of organizations are still prioritizing connectivity programs. Companies are expected to continue leveraging investments to automate key processes, transform workplaces, improve customer experiences, and increase corporate resiliency.

Connectivity programs will embrace 5G, edge, and cloud infrastructure and services to keep data moving. More importantly, these programs will continue to focus on improving efficiency and leveraging data to provide real-time business insights. As networks and business requirements evolve, enterprise network and IT departments must align their systems and processes to ensure business continuity, empower greater employee productivity, and help organizations adapt quickly to changing business environments and requirements.

"The impacts of hybrid work, inflation, global economics, and business uncertainty are forcing enterprises to adapt business operations to counteract disruptive market forces," said Paul Hughes, research director, Future of Connectedness at IDC. "Organizations that adopt and integrate a smart, scalable, and flexible cloud-centric connectivity strategy across the organization will reap the benefits of improved agility, a more productive workforce, and more resilient operations."

IDC's top 10 predictions for the Future of Connectedness 2022 are:

Prediction 1: By 2024, 75% of enterprises will leverage cloud-based APIs to create customer engagement applications that integrate UCaaS/CPaaS platforms with multichannel options to improve customer experience.

Prediction 2: By 2025, 50% of digital organizations will augment "cloud first" with a "wireless first" multi-access network fabric using diverse technologies for mission-critical and business continuity use cases.

Prediction 3: By 2025, only 30% of organizations will benefit from defined 5G use cases due to fragmentation and lack of leadership among connectivity, technology, and managed services providers.

Prediction 4: By 2026, 40% of enterprises will double investments in hyperconnected digital spaces to increase productivity, improve collaboration, and boost energy efficiency.

Prediction 5: By 2024, 50% of large enterprises will use a hyperscaler's cloud WAN service within their network, either directly or indirectly, pushing telcos further toward the role of service integrators.

Prediction 6: By 2027, the metaverse will account for 70% of annual media traffic growth on the internet, where both consumer and business use cases will drive increased bandwidth demand.

Prediction 7: By 2023, 40% of enterprises will benefit from optimized operational efficiency, enhanced security, and reduced network costs by leveraging SD-WAN and security for cloud-managed networking and security.

Prediction 8: By 2024, 30% of enterprises will extend network attentiveness across all major IT teams (e.g., SecOps, DevOps, and AIOps) by expanding skill development, screening requirements, and NetOps interactions.

Prediction 9: By 2026, 40% of companies will lag in executing a resilient connectivity strategy due to budget shortfalls, as workplace transformation becomes the new normal for customers, employers, and partners.

Prediction 10: By 2027, 80% of G2000 enterprises will require low earth orbit (LEO) satellites to cover gaps in network coverage for remote, rural, and high-risk international locations.

IDC's Future of Connectedness predictions are presented in full detail in the report, IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Connectedness 2023 Predictions (IDC #US48726822). Copies of this report are available to qualified members of the media.

An on-demand replay of IDC's Worldwide Future of Connectedness 2023 Predictions webinar will be available as one of more than 40 FutureScape webinars that will address the CIO Agenda, Digital Business, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, Sustainable Strategies and Technologies, and a range of industry-specific and "Future of X" topics. To register for any of these webinars, please visit www.idc.com/futurescape2023.

About IDC FutureScape

IDC FutureScape presents information about technologies, markets, and ecosystems that help decision makers to better understand future trends and their impacts on the enterprise. They also present guidance on complex, fast-moving environments and offer prescriptive, actionable recommendations. Every year, IDC identifies the key external drivers that will influence businesses in the coming years. An IDC FutureScape establishes 10 predictions derived from these drivers, analyzes the impacts on the IT organization, and proposes recommendations for the next five years. To learn more about IDC FutureScape, please visit: www.idc.com/futurescape2023.

About IDC's Future of Connectedness Research Practice

IDC's Future of Connectedness helps organizations recognize the imperative need to address unevenness in connectivity across different environments and locations and provide employees and consumers with digital experiences supported by ubiquitous, reliable, and robust connectivity. To learn more about IDC's Future of Connectedness research practice, please visit www.idc.com/promo/future-of-x/connectedness.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,300 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights.

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IDC's Future of Connectedness predictions show how organizations that adopt a smart, scalable, and flexible cloud-centric connectivity strategy will see improved agility, productivity, and resilience.