Universal high availability, hybrid cloud support, SAP HANA migration, intelligent automation, integrated security, and advanced storage for app and data resilience.
As we move further into 2024, technology leaders foresee several notable trends emerging in response to the ongoing economic, geopolitical, and environmental uncertainties facing organizations. According to Cassius Rhue, VP of Customer Experience at SIOS Technology, companies will place a premium on enhancing the availability of business-critical applications while implementing sophisticated data storage and recovery safeguards.
Making High Availability Universal
"As reliance on applications continues to rise, IT teams will be pressured to deliver efficient high availability for applications once considered non-essential," predicts Rhue. "Once reserved for mission-critical systems, such as SQL Server, Oracle, SAP, and HANA, application high availability – typically delivered with HA clustering technology - will become a requirement for more systems, applications, and services throughout the enterprise."
Supporting Hybrid Cloud and Multi-OS Environments
"IT teams will look for application HA solutions that reduce complexity and improve cost-efficiency by supporting multiple operating systems, platforms, and environments," says Rhue. For example, companies running some applications in on-premise data centers and others in the cloud, as well as those with a mix of Windows and Linux, will demand consistent and expert support across these heterogeneous landscapes.
Accelerating Migration to SAP HANA
"The SAP-mandated 2027 migration will push more companies to migrate to SAP HANA," explains Rhue. "As a result, there will be an increased need for more automated and flexible high availability and disaster recovery solutions that help them bridge the gap between existing systems and the new, more modern systems that take advantage of SAP HANA’s capabilities."
Intelligent Automation for Availability and Recovery
"As the volume and variety of data and the ways through which data are collected increase, organizations will require more hands-free recovery orchestration and more information about why faults/failures occurred and how to address potential issues," says Rhue. Machine learning-driven automation and analytics will provide resilience while reducing human effort.
Integrated Security for HA and DR
"The focus on data retention, security, and access controls will intensify, prompting organizations to integrate enhanced security measures deeper into their high availability and disaster recovery solutions, services, and strategies," warns Rhue. Hardening infrastructure against breaches is imperative.
Sophisticated Storage and Recovery Patterns
"As the volume of unstructured data continues to surge, storage solutions are expected to prioritize scalability, tiered performance, and accessibility," Rhue says. Likewise, advanced replication mechanisms tailored for complex storage environments will be critical.
The overarching trends are enabling always-available applications through flexible, automated solutions despite increasing diversity and uncertainty - while also securing data integrity. Resilient systems that protect productivity without overburdening IT teams are essential.