Network Agility: Solving Problems Proactively

Networks are comprised of several fundamental layers or building blocks, each with varying complexities. All of these must work in harmony to deliver a pleasing user experience. Applications and code are complex by themselves, so when performance drops, what’s the quickest way to learn which layer is to blame?

Using an agile network AI console, you might notice that processor utilization is high on your cloud segment, for example, so you spin up a higher-powered processor with your cloud provider. Or perhaps network latency seems to have increased significantly, so you notify your carrier to temporarily slow non-mission-critical applications until it is fixed.

Agile networks take the guesswork out of where to invest in network resources by specifically identifying problem areas, maximizing ROI.

• Granular network visibility: System administrators can define and detect almost anything connected to the network and control access.
• Faster problem resolution: An agile network employs machine learning to drive faster responses to problems, while analytics identify areas for improvement or impending failure.
• Enhanced security and compliance: A network that’s agile can achieve better centralized control over all access and endpoints to reduce vulnerabilities, limiting the risk of non-compliance.
• Simplified, faster deployment: It can expedite the roll-out of new services and products across the network with reduced operational overhead.
• Heightened awareness of network traffic: An agile network can provide greater insight into who is using the network showing where and when volume peaks.
• Better management of network assets: A network that’s agile knows when current devices or services are approaching end-of-life and can recommend savings through device consolidation.
• Scalability at reduced costs: Administrators can execute multiple tasks through software instead of keystrokes.
• Transforming cost centers into profit centers: An agile data center and network can lower the cost of business by freeing up resources and staff to perform more high value tasks.

Digital transformation is changing the way networks are designed and maintained, and the resulting user experience. Users – whether internal employees or external customers – have become conditioned to near real-time response. Enterprises and their networks need to be agile to thrive and quickly adapt to future market conditions and network challenges, or else the customer will click off to another provider that can solve their problem while you’re still fixing yours.

Perhaps the best advice in the quest for network agility is to select technology partners that employ open architecture solutions, apply common networking standards, support virtualization and offer a migration path to the cloud with world-class support teams to assist you in the process, rather than vendors offering closed proprietary systems.