Businesses understand the need to adopt digital and cloud initiatives, but many fear that their networks are not ready to support this change. Here, we look at the network challenges facing enterprises and determine whether Software-Defined Networking has the answer.
In the modern business world, the need to innovate is often taken for granted. Ask any business leader and they will share that the adoption of digital and cloud technologies is key to future success. They will also say that innovation can’t happen quickly enough. Ninety four percent of the executives we spoke to for a recent study, for instance, reported that innovation has accelerated in their companies over the past three years. More recently, additional research from Accenture’s Network Readiness Survey revealed that enterprises are embracing a range of advanced technologies including – IoT/edge computing (77%), big data/analytics (83%) and digital customer experience (78%).
It’s the Network
In this digital gold rush, one essential element risks being overlooked: the enterprise network. The network is often described as the ‘backbone’ of the enterprise and for a good reason – without a network that is fit for purpose, all the shiny new digital apps and cloud services that businesses are investing in will not perform as required. The digital revolution to date has succeeded because diverse digital capabilities have been well-connected. As we move to a future of increasingly interconnected devices and distributed computing, these network connections are only going to become more critical.
That’s why it is so concerning that few businesses today seem satisfied with their networks. Our survey found that less than 40% of respondents are ‘very satisfied’ with their overall capability (36%) and bandwidth (38%). Half or less reported being ‘very satisfied’ with their network performance (43%), security (50%) and reliability (50%). More significantly, few seem confident that their networks are ready for the future. Only 39% of executives reported being “very satisfied†with their network’s ability to meet future demands, and less than half (43%) indicated that their networks are entirely ready to support cloud and digital technologies.
What’s the Problem?
Many businesses are seeing a growing disconnect emerge between what their business needs and what their network can deliver. What’s causing this disconnect? According to our survey, there arethree key drivers: a mismatch between the needs of IT and the business (48%), the complexities of operational demands and business needs (45%) and an inability to deliver bandwidth and performance to the levels required by business users (45%). These findings paint a picture of organizations at war with themselves, mismatches between IT and the business are causing network modernization to fall by the wayside.
In our experience, these troubles stem from applying a legacy network refresh approach to a new cloud- and digital-first world. IT teams are used to replacing network devices as they fail. In the previous generation of networks set up to connect PCs to local data centers, this approach was low-cost and worked to “keep the lights on†even if it did lead to a patchwork of devices plucked from different network technology providers. Today, the underlying network requirements have changed beyond recognition. Employees are increasingly based in remote locations and use laptops, smartphones and other devices for work. They no longer use traditional software. Instead, they are using cloud-based services to access the apps and tools they need. Even corporate apps are now mostly hosted in the cloud.
Several companies have not yet put in place a cohesive strategy for how the network can adapt to this much-changed business model, and they have no clear idea about how new technologies can be put to work to support their business strategy. What’s more, enterprise IT network teams are often so focused on fixing today’s outages, that they never find time to prepare the organization for the connected world of tomorrow.
Software-Defined Networks Point the Way Forward
Something must change, but IT teams are wary of large rip and replace projects. For many, the budget isn’t there to continually revamp their networks every time a new technology comes along.
Fortunately, a solution to this challenge already exists. Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is where enterprise networks are controlled and programmed centrally by software. This approach means that network operators can manage their network consistently and as a whole, irrespective of the hardware used to build the network. Once installed, SDN devices can be upgraded with zero-touch deployment and zero downtime. Open APIs also allow seamless integration with Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms that effectively automate the updating of network functions at a pace traditional approaches can’t come close to matching. The integrated solution is a high performing network that operates “from Device to Cloudâ€.
What’s required today is not a change of technology but rather a change of mindset. Rather than chasing the latest network gear and worrying about how to update a legacy network, IT leaders should be installing software-defined devices that will enable a network that updates automatically and is consistent in orchestration of policy from end user device all the way out to the cloud. The result is a business that’s ready for all future change – regardless of what may come. This is a network that can more than handle the new demands that will come as businesses continue to embrace the cloud and digital tools.
A Network that Unlocks Value
As businesses look to overcome their network challenges, SDN offers the best way forward. As we have seen, the model draws on automation tools to ensure it is continually up to date, and able to respond to business demands effectively. There are other benefits too. Compliance teams, for example, benefit from enhanced security levels that come with a perpetually up-to-date network, while automation and analytics tools provide IT with new levels of intelligence into the performanceof the network. This allows them to identify and fix issues before they become a problem.
For SDN to live up to its promise, it needs to be integrated end to end to create a cohesive, harmonized enterprise tool capable of delivering the performance, bandwidth and security businesses need now and in the future. Few businesses have so far made this journey, but now is the time to start.