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As the U.S. continues to embrace digital transformation and come to terms with a permanent shift to remote work, the health of the nation’s digital infrastructure is in the spotlight. In November 2021, President Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which set aside $65 million for broadband and the digital infrastructure that makes it possible in rural communities.
Digital infrastructure has revolutionized industries such as healthcare, transportation, energy, and education. It accelerates agribusiness operations and opens the door to entrepreneurial ventures. For enterprises, digital infrastructure drives innovation and expands growth opportunities. And for enterprises in Tier 1 markets, it has also given them an advantage over smaller communities, though that’s starting to change.
Through the Years
In fact, digital infrastructure overall has been in a state of flux since inception. Here’s a quick overview of digital infrastructure’s evolution.
Before the late 80s, multi-tenant data centers didn’t really exist. The emergence of the multi-tenant data center, or colocation facility, was the first big shift in digital infrastructure. A handful of carrier hotels existed, but for the most part, enterprises were building their own in-house data centers at headquarters or on a company’s campus. Multi-tenant data storage facilities were mostly confined to the basements of telecom providers.
The next big shift was the emergence of virtualization, which changed the game for everybody. Companies were grabbing huge applications and making them virtual, layering all of the necessary software on the operating system, and then adding the virtual applications to it.
Now, the industry is experiencing a transition from traditional virtual machines to abstraction, microservices, and containers. We are starting to see portions of applications run in smaller, more defined, purpose-built pieces of software. The distribution of these software pieces is allowing for the emergence of Web 3.0 and internet decentralization.
And with containerization and microservices, the real-time, build-on-demand operating model exists across the board, from public and private cloud to application development. The demand for “composable” infrastructure on demand is driving the market. In addition, software-defined network fabrics are making networking simpler.
Today, people interact with technology in real time – and they expect near-zero latency. If you want to experience the world through autonomous reality (AR) glasses, for instance, think about how fast everything needs to happen for the experience to be optimal. Connectivity time at the edge must be reduced to accommodate the real-time 3D functionality that Web 3.0 and the metaverse promise us.
What Lies Ahead
To keep up with modern customer experience demands, enterprises must leverage the latest digital infrastructure trends and follow the hyperscalers’ lead in building edge strategies. An advanced edge-based digital infrastructure strategy is at the core of DartPoints’ Digital Next approach. By weaving together cloud, interconnection, colocation, and managed services into one unique solutions suite, Digital Next is enabling edge ecosystems for enterprises, carriers, and cloud and content providers.
Digital infrastructure will continue to evolve as the need to accommodate digital demands and new technologies persists. Digital Next is enabling businesses to meet these requirements while providing better customer experiences, improving productivity, and cutting costs..
Discover how DartPoints’ powerful digital platform can help your enterprise shape the next generation of edge infrastructure.