Security
The increasingly flexible policies of network access and the growing number of threats will escalate the demand for newer network protection technologies.
"The escalating likelihood of attack and the resulting loss of productivity and damage to reputations will ensure that security is a high priority for executive management—particularly given the number of high-profile attacks during 2014," Sato adds.
"Likewise, Next Generation Firewall (NGFW) technology, integrating application control capability, will play a leading role in the security space."
"Internet of Things (IoT)
Sato believes the IoT trend will "dramatically increase" the number of network-connected entities.
"Devices that contain sensors, control, or intelligence will increasingly become network connected," he predicts.
"IPv6 will gain wider adoption, as will management technologies that are required to manage network-connected nodes."
As a result, Sato thinks the IoT will deliver benefits for everyone, from enterprises to municipal councils, but it is the value of information and knowledge that will see new players introduced and new business models emerge during 2015.
SDN in the Enterprise
Sato thinks the flexibility in user location and device usage that is becoming the norm in Enterprise IT, as the BYOD concept has taken hold, will drive requirements for more dynamic operation of Enterprise communication systems.
"Organisations needing solutions to these requirements will increasingly look to SDN as the source of such solutions," he adds.
"The efficiencies to be gained by integration between business rules, user information, and network infrastructure will benefit network administrators and users alike."