
Communications test and measurement future is all about software
According to Frost & Sullivan, as software technologies and connectivity become more pervasive and a digitalized world becomes inevitable, the complexity of smart devices, networks and applications will create the need for customized testing and monitoring solutions.
As businesses migrate to the cloud, monitoring and management needs to be more dynamic and adaptable The latest analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Mega Trends in Communications Test and Measurement Industry, finds that demand for flexibility will propel software-based tools and product integration to the forefront of the market. More than 70 percent of test equipment will be virtualized and software-defined in 2020.
"The emergence of smart energy, smart building, smart mobility, smart healthcare, smart infrastructure, smart technology, smart governance and smart citizens will create tremendous opportunities for test equipment vendors," said Frost & Sullivan Measurement and Instrumentation Program Manager Olga Yashkova-Shapiro. "The increasing complexity of smart consumer devices will also require testing be integrated earlier in the product lifecycle."
The communications test and measurement value chain currently consists of component providers, device vendors, network providers, platform providers and system integrators.This extremely fragmented value-chain highlights the lack of a one-stop-shop solution provider offering end-to-end solutions. Testing providers must explore a more efficient way to provide bundled solutions in order to address this challenge.
"With the advent of virtualization, infrastructure testing participants need to develop products that can be tested on major hypervisors as well as other virtualized network components," advised Shapiro. "Testing vendors must also ensure interoperability, standardization, and the general consolidation of infrastructure deployed on the cloud to strengthen their position in the global communications test and measurement market."
