Build for the cloud: Five steps to modern networks
January 6, 2022
January 6, 2022
Not long ago, the definition of a cutting-edge IT network was a fleet of static desktop PCs with a robust corporate data center as its beating heart.
Today, that seems … almost quaint.
An entire continuum of cloud solutions is taking over, as countless laptops and mobile devices continuously connect to services like Microsoft's Office 365 and Salesforce.com or applications on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud Platform. A growing array of sensors from connected machinery and edge devices are churning out data while a new army of remote workers need flexible “anywhere, everywhere” access.
The trouble is, those old-school enterprise networks haven’t been able to keep up.
Many have hardly changed since those days of desktops and data centers. Instead, they’re trapped in a cycle of pasting unstable workarounds over an aging and outdated infrastructure that can’t handle the load.
In large organizations, for example, more than half of the network budget can be spent on bandwidth. And with the incessant demand for new cloud services, those bandwidth needs can grow 30% each year—with a similar impact on cost.
Why have networks fallen behind? The truth is, adapting to a cloud-based system is too often treated as an afterthought or as “just another” infrastructure fix. That inevitably leads to a patchwork approach, where issues are addressed only when something breaks. Organizations get stuck in a spiral of technology debt, where their network teams spend all their time and budget wrangling legacy technology rather than reimagining it for the business’s future needs.
Today’s networks need to be able to meet a wide, rapidly changing set of needs as well as provide employees with seamless connectivity to data, applications and platforms from anywhere and everywhere. This includes the ability to handle:
Rapid, agile innovation enabled by cloud adoption.
Application-to-application connectivity across many cloud services and data centers.
Machine-to-machine communication, as from edge devices and Internet of Things sensors.
Growing integration of data analytics into day-to-day working life.
Security for both inbound and outbound connections.
Rapid, radical changes in how we work, including a permanent increase in remote employees.
To meet those needs, you can’t rely on quick fixes—you need to rearchitect the network entirely for a modern environment.
That means building an any-to-any device-to-cloud network that leverages an advanced automation layer and is linked to a broader infrastructure-as-code approach. Here, we’ll walk you through practical ways to get your network from a position of technology debt to a position of technology wealth.
Having your network in “perpetual catchup” mode not only stifles innovation, it also leads to security holes and spiraling costs.
The way forward for networks is clear: Companies need to abandon short-term “patchwork” fixes and focus on fundamental network upgrades for the cloud. Those old network bottlenecks limit innovation, escalate costs and open potentially disastrous security holes.
With a new network approach, one that uses a programmable layer to deliver instant scalability, fast automation, more flexibility and better security, businesses will be able to stop throwing money and time at problems—and start seeing better results.