Network evolution

This is especially evident with the advent and adoption of trends, such as consumerisation of IT and cloud computing, which have changed both the view of a network and the role that it plays within an organisation’s IT infrastructure. Consider BYOD and the effect it has on employees, the business and IT, regardless of whether the organisation has adopted it as an official policy; IT managers and security staff are no longer able to maintain strict control over the devices on their network.

Instead, the role of the network within a business, and not just from an IT perspective, has changed, with many experts promoting it as having more of a strategic function.

The role of the network
At IP EXPO 2012 Sarah Eccleston, head of borderless networks, UK and Ireland, Cisco Systems, said that with organisations moving to implement BYOD and cloud, IT has lost its hold over the network environment.

“You can’t secure it, you can’t optimise for performance, and you can’t control it. However, companies can use the network as a strategic asset in order to gain value because the only thing that has an awareness of the devices on a network, of the apps in the data centre, of all people trying to connect to the network, and all the information that they are trying to download, is the network. With the changing trends in IT, networks can help IT deliver what they need to.”

One way of realising this value is by using a BYOD policy to empower sales teams or other members of the organisation. For example, employees in a field-type setting, such as an instrumentation engineer checking devices in a manufacturing plant, who typically make their way back to the office to complete reports on the day’s activities could become more efficient by reporting back immediately via a smartphone or tablet. In this way the organisation is getting data that is more accurate and immediate.

Jeff Smith, Director Ethernet, Managed Services and Collaboration, EMEA, Level 3 Communications, said organisations that don’t see their networks as part of their core strategy are missing out. At IP EXPO he explained: “IT within the modern enterprise space is no longer seen as fulfilling a support function. Instead, IT is an enabler. Your network should be the strategic enabler for your business. It’s a critical element of anything that you want to do, especially if networking is not your core strength.”

In the context of the changing landscape of the network in relation to BYOD and cloud, there are some challenges, namely the cost-effectiveness of the infrastructure, lack of enterprise-grade solutions for managing mobile devices, security, and the availability of highly trained staff.

Smith noted that while the main benefits are more inclined towards cost savings and improved performance, there are other advantages of using a network as an enabler, namely that it provides additional flexibility, scalability and provides an excellent platform for growth.

The future of networks
The way forward is to change the networking model completely. Javier Benitez of Colt said during IP EXPO 2012 that up until now networks have evolved into complex systems that are difficult to manage with a lack of networking principles, abstractions and network APIs.

“In contract, computing over the last few decades has been heavily built on abstractions, leading to the cloud paradigm and with it elasticity, scalability and virtualisation,” says Benitez.

Some believe that the future of networking lies in software-defined networking (SDN), a relatively new idea that is slowly gaining momentum in the IT enterprise space.

SDN challenges the idea of a traditional network structure and proposes that networks should move away from the vertically integrated stack in order to offer an organisation better flexibility and manageability. In simpler terms, control of the network is moved from hardware to a software application – packets are no longer moved by switches but rather by a server called a controller.

Gartner defines SDN as “a new approach to designing, building and operating networks that supports business agility. SDN brings a similar degree of agility to networks that abstraction, virtualization and orchestration have brought to server infrastructure”.

As with other emerging concepts, there seems to be more questions than solutions when it comes to SDN and raises the issue that it may not be the most effective and efficient model for all organisations. The critical questions to ask when deciding if employing an SDN model would be appropriate, are: what kind of data centre investment is required by the company; what is the size of the company’s network; what is the nature of the company’s applications; the company’s requirements in terms of flexibility, scalability and agility; and the company’s requirements relating to security and access to applications. Another important question is how does the role of the network change when adopting SDN?

Realising the full benefits of SDN will take time but ultimately a software-defined network will enable IT engineers to enhance security and performance, and streamline management of the network without using costly hardware. In addition, SDN will allow the programming of networks, offer simplified control, better agility, and more automation.

Where to from here?
Regardless of the role that the network is expected to fulfil within an organisation, there are certain requirements that must be met in order for it to keep pace with the changes in technology; a network should be simple, secure and scalable. And whether these requirements can be met using the network as a strategic asset or by taking the next step in evolution, SDN, is a matter that IT decision makers will be considering over the long term.
IP EXPO 2013 is the ideal opportunity to learn more about networks, cloud and other technology themes. The event is taking place from 16 -17 October at Earls Court 2, London. To register for the event, simply visit the website, or follow this link: http://bit.ly/1eGoHGb