PathSolutions CTO to Speak at ITEXPO East 2011

By Stefanie Mosca, TMCnet Web Editor

As technology continuously changes, so do the trends.  Looking back on the technology trends of 2010 and the upcoming trends of 2011, Tim Titus, CTO at PathSolutions credited the most significant trend of 2010 as the growing interest in cloud-based computing and communications, which he believes will continue into 2011.

Titus recently participated in a TMCnet interview in anticipation of the upcoming ITEXPO East 2011 event. Next month at ITEXPO (News - Alert), he will participate in a panel discussion titled”Dark Clouds: Can you trust the cloud? Latency, Security and Availability,” on February 4, from 10:00- 10:45AM.

Titus noted that mobility and cloud-based services are the most obvious opportunities in the tech space for the upcoming year. He added that the industry is seeing tremendous opportunity for vendors who can offer solutions that extend the lifecycles of current infrastructures. Many businesses still find themselves in precarious economic climates, so a solution that can help lengthen the life of their current equipment will be well-positioned.

Below is the interview in its entirety.

What was the most significant technology trend in 2010 and what impact will it have in 2011?

The growing interest in cloud-based computing and communications will continue in 2011. As businesses take a closer look at using services in the cloud, issues like network performance and network efficiency will come under increasing scrutiny. The providers of these cloud-based capabilities will need to reassure the market that their solutions can adequately address these fundamental IT needs. Demonstrating profound OPEX (News - Alert) savings is a compelling message, but few businesses can take advantage of these solutions if their network cannot support the change in services that cloud-based computing requires.

What impact will mobile technology have on the tech space in 2011?

Mobile technology permeates most aspects of society, and will continue to dominate the face of technology in 2011. The growth of the App space really illustrates the impact of this technology. There are literally millions of developers worldwide writing applications for iPhones, Android (News - Alert), Blackberry, and Windows devices. And that’s not even looking at the tablet and vertical markets, like payments and other tools. The potential is enormous, and we’re just scratching the surface.

Where are the best opportunities in the tech space this year?

Mobility and cloud-based services are perhaps the most obvious, but we also see tremendous opportunity for vendors who can offer solutions that extend the lifecycles of current infrastructures. Many businesses still find themselves in precarious economic climates, so a solution that can help lengthen the life of their current equipment will be well-positioned.

The FCC (News - Alert) has recently voted to support net neutrality.  Is net neutrality necessary, or will it present more challenges than it will solve?

The concept behind Net Neutrality is certainly noble—few would argue with the philosophical notion of giving content providers and developers equal access to the Internet. How this works in a practical sense is another conversation altogether. Can the infrastructure handle significantly increased traffic? And who’s going to pay for the increased bandwidth that will be necessary to support the load? Like most people, I’m curious to see how this all plays out.

What will be the greatest technological development in 2011?  Why?

One of the more intriguing developments is Skype’s (News - Alert) recent announcement that it will support Blu-Ray services as part of its solution. It is an interesting idea. But it will only work if the underlying infrastructure is reliable and secure. If you race Indy cars over a potholed roadway, performance will certainly be less than expected. It will be the same with Blu-ray—and many other innovations—over the Internet. The pace of innovation is breathtaking, but we have to make sure we have the foundation to support it all.

Why is your session a must-attend at ITEXPO?

With all the talk surrounding cloud-based services, and the compelling cost-benefits and innovation it offers, very few people are discussing the inherent performance problems that can occur if the network is operating in a less-than-optimal manner. Reliability, stability, and user productivity can all become problematic in a cloud environment if network performance is poor. The information we’ll provide in our session will help organizations ensure that their infrastructure is optimized to handle traffic in the cloud. This is an essential element if providers and enterprises are to truly leverage the benefits of cloud computing and cloud-based communications.

What other topics should be at the top of attendees’ lists?

I would encourage attendees to take the opportunity to learn as much as possible about cloud-based services. It is a trend that is here to stay. The ROI for accessing technology resources in the cloud is extremely compelling for customers, as well as providers. In fact, most vendors that I know of are already deep in developing strategies that can help satisfy the expected demand for cloud technology. It is clearly the direction in which our industry is headed.

What new and exciting products/solutions can we expect to see from your company in 2011?

PathSolutions plans to introduce several new software-based solutions that optimize network performance in 2011. With the escalating demands placed on the data network, it is critical that providers and enterprises maintain the integrity and performance levels of their infrastructure. Our newest solutions will extend PathSolutions’ reputation for delivering powerful and cost-effective tools that enable our customers to ensure their critical networks operate at peak performance. 

Make one surprising prediction for 2011.

During a slowly recovering economy, there will be certain companies that grow by leaps and bounds because they have dramatically changed how their business operates. These extremely-dynamic organizations will be able to take advantage of market conditions that their slower competitors cannot. The technology that enables this is all based on cloud services and is available today – if the risks are mitigated and adoption is embraced.

To find out more about Tim Titus and PathSolutions, visit the company at ITEXPO East 2011. To be held Feb. 2-4 in Miami, ITEXPO is the world’s premier IP communications event. Titus is speaking during”Dark Clouds: Can you trust the cloud? Latency, Security and Availability.”Don’t wait. Register now.

Stefanie Mosca is a Web editor for TMCnet. Previously she worked as a freelance copy editor for Digital Surgeons LLC. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University and a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of New Haven. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Stefanie Mosca

(source: http://it.tmcnet.com/topics/it/articles/135700-pathsolutions-cto-speak-itexpo-east-2011.htm)