10 main IT predictions for small business

The technical writer and the blogger Paul MAh shared the vision of the future year.

1. A release of Microsoft Hyper-V3 - less expensive and developed virtualization

It is very likely that with release of Windows Server 8, Microsoft will try to receive a big market share of virtualization alone. Hyper-V 3 will be significantly improved regarding work with networks, storage systems, scalability and opportunities of online migration. On the small and medium enterprises which did not begin virtualization, Hyper-V 3 will have significant effect. It will allow to create a full-fledged set of means of virtualization with the minimum costs regarding licensing fees for the software.

2. It is more than network storages

All these years the equipment of the network attached storages (NAS - Network Attached Storage) quickly developed, reducing a gap with networks of storage (SAN – Storage Area Network) initial level. Today many products NAS are certified for virtualization platforms, such as VMware, Hyper-V and Citrix, and more advanced solutions are capable to carry out replication between NAS and support cloud storage systems, such as Simple Storage Service from Amazon.

In 2012 continuation of this trend and even its acceleration is expected. Possibly, small business and the enterprises will develop more NAS, in certain cases using them for replacement of SAN.

3. Abundance of USB 3.0 devices

It happened to hear only about USB 3.0 earlier, but, at last, it should have an effect in 2012. One of important points is the official commitment of Intel concerning the "superfast" universal serial bus (USB) what integration of USB 3.0 into new chipsets testifies to. At data transfer rate up to 5 Gbit/sec. wide circulation of USB 3.0 will have far-reaching effects. In addition to portable devices of data storage, probably more convenient options in terms of simplicity of deployment on the basis of USB 3.0 devices of directly connected storages will be provided to small and medium business (Direct Attached Storage - DAS).

4. Ultrabooks: more thinly, easier

Despite criticism of Intel regarding its new strategy of superthin laptops, the producer of chips is seriously anxious with the new generation of thin and easy notebooks gaining popularity from Apple. More than 60 models of ultrabooks will be available in 2012 while also recently announced AMD preparation of the ultrathin notebooks. Considering a progressive tense of independent operation and lower prices, in comparison with normal notebooks, there is a suspicion that many enterprises of small and medium business will purchase ultrabooks for use at offices.

5. The prices of SSD fall, hard drives become quicker

One more trend which it is possible to expect in 2012, this existence of means of fast local data storage at more affordable prices. The price of solid state drives (SSD) falls constantly, even more often they are offered as options on notebooks. The Seagate company in November released the second generation of the hybrid hard drive (HHD) in the form of the standard drive aggregated with the increased performance which is built in a flash memory on the basis of SLC (NAND technology) for. Existence of such data storage devices will do small business good in a format of workstations and notebooks which will just work quicker.

6. Tablets everywhere

This year tablets blew up the market. In 2012 the new generation of these devices will appear. iPad 3, tablets on a basis Android of 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, tablets Windows 8 and PlayBook OS v2.0 will enter into it from BlackBerry.

The impact of tablets occurs in two directions: on the one hand, flexibility and efficiency of their application in small and medium business, with another – problems and a headache in attempts of management of the diverse platforms and risks inherent for such high-growth devices.

7. BYOD comes

BYOD or "Bring Your Own Device" (bring the equipment with yourself) is the term used for the description of a manner of use of personal computing devices at office. In 2012 BYOD will become the commonly accepted rule of business for small enterprises.

This trend and blessing, and damnation for small and medium business as employees will begin to apply at work the network duet (or the trio) with Wi - Fi - devices. One network failure is potentially capable to overload wireless networks as density of wireless devices will exceed those parameters which the network was originally expected. Besides, system administrators can be the filled-up requests for support which will be not necessarily connected with workflows.

8. Small business will become interested in software in "cloud"

For the companies presence at the Internet without acquisition of the server hardware is quite possible today. Such services as online storages, B2B services, a web hosting, e-mail, joint work, products for office activity (G Suite (before Google Apps), Office 365) can be received via the Internet, having only the credit card.

In the future it is expected that startups, the small and medium enterprises will use this trend as a circumventor of traditional infrastructure and hardware barriers.

9. Wireless gigabit communication begins to force out Ethernet

As you know, now two companies work on gigabit wireless communication. WiGig works at frequency 60GHz and supports protocols of the front-side buses PCI Express and USB; IEEE 802.11ac works at frequency of 5 GHz, can provide capacity of more than 1 Gbit/sec. and backward compatibility with 802.11n. Today the researches ABI Research say that IEEE 802.11ac will be the dominating Wi-fi protocol by 2014.

Limited supplies of equipment are expected in 2012. Considering that gigabit wireless communication can be quite sufficient for satisfaction of requirements of most the small and medium enterprises, its emergence in 2012 can lead to replacement at the enterprises of the wire equipment Ethernet by wireless.

10. Windows 8 will introduce the amendments

There are no doubts that the release of the expected operating system will cause a wave of changes in all industry of the PC. Use of advanced methods of memory management and prevention of duplication of data on the old equipment would be the benefit for small and medium business.