Letter from the Editor
Each year we dedicate one issue of Pipeline to exploring the top trends. Some of these trends are new, others persistent, and all are relevant to the way we connect as a global community.
As 2021 comes to a close, we have gained perspective. In my letter from the editor almost a year ago to the day, I reported that Margaret Keenan of Britain became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials. Today, just a year later, there have been over 7 billion doses of the vaccines administered, over 250 million cases of COVID-19 reported, and tragically, over 5 million deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus.
The world changed. The pandemic has affected virtually every aspect of our lives. It's changed the way we work, live, play and connect. More importantly, despite suffering from COVID fatigue, we have learned how to live with it. We have adapted. We learned to leverage technology to survive, overcome and thrive during the pandemic. We have connected with each other remotely and virtually, leveraged AI and analytics for viral modeling, and optimized global communications and connectivity to continue to drive commerce and manage complex supply chains.
At the same time, the world continued to turn, and the industry continued to innovate. 4G evolved into 5G, and discussions around 6G began to emerge. The proliferation of IoT continued and the need to adapt has even spurred additional innovations. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Robotics Process Automation (RPA), and quantum computing all got their footing. We started 2021 with work-from-home and Zoom calls, and ended it with virtual workplaces and holographic communications and collaboration. Even in-person events started to come back. But not all trends are so optimistic.
Throughout 2021 hacks and cyberattacks persisted, including SolarWinds, and the largest IoT public, critical infrastructure attack to date on the Colonial Pipeline, which was projected four days prior in Mitigating Risk and Compliance and suggested this may just be the beginning. At the same time, nearly over 10 million workers left the workforce in what is being called The Great Resignation due to the persistent and constantly evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
These trends impacted all of us, and like us they are all connected. Which is why this issue of Pipeline is so important.
In this issue of Pipeline, we look at key trends as we look ahead to 2022 and beyond. Broadstaff Global offers five tips to improve your hiring process during The Great Resignation and DXC Technology underscores the importance of your employees’ technology experience in the virtual workplace. Stellar Cyber introduces us to “SOC-less” security by leveraging continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) and TNS (Total Network Services) explains why E-MEID is the "next big thing" in smartphone security. OneM2M shares how semantic interoperability will enable IoT-data conversations, Bluebird Network highlights Trends in Wireles and Fiber Infrastructure, and SCTE’s Chris Bastian reviews the highlights from SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. VNC and Vereign team up to provide guidance on Assessing Data Provenance and Netcracker discusses digital BSS trends all CSPs should embrace in order to succeed in 2022. All this plus the latest industry news and more.
We hope you enjoy this and every issue of Pipeline,
Scott St. John
Managing Editor
Pipeline
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