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2014 is predicted to be a year of big changes for the telecom industry, as well as several others. New advances in Internet technology, as well as creative applications of existing technology, have made it so that communication and telephony is cheaper, easier and more efficient than ever. Ultimately, experts predict that 2014 will be the year of the cloud, and VoIP technology will take advantage of that to create a profoundly unique telecom environment.

John Grady predicts in his article for the Pulse (News - Alert) that the telecom industry will see major growth into cloud-based services. Particularly, he foresees three specific trends as popular in 2014: greater use in large enterprises, integration of multiple cloud networks, and new tools for network management.

Larger enterprises are already starting to increase their awareness of cloud computing, and if this trend continues they will see that it is a vital source of communication and information exchange that helps the entire organization to stay coordinated. Cloud-based VoIP services allow businesses to link multiple office locations into a single internal phone network, allowing for easy scalability. Currently, issues that make enterprises question the adoption of cloud services include security and performance, but an increasing trend in leadership skill-sets that involve both IT and business practice is likely to put an end to these problems.

Currently, several businesses operate under a multitude of cloud networks, including ones that are public, private and hybrids between the two. Grady anticipates that more of these networks will be melded into hybridized cloud networks as network security protocols become more effective. By unifying the systems into one, there are fewer chances for compatibility issues, which will meet IT needs with flying colors.

The new tools predicted to reach the telecom scene include Software Defined Networking (SDN and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). Both concepts have had a lot of buzz but still haven't been developed. However, it's looking like 2014 is the year that both tools will be placed in the limelight, since they offer an excellent solution to several current telecom issues. SDN allows networks to become even more scalable and flexible, while NFV will be able to replace several pieces of hardware with software, saving on both office space and overhead costs.