Networking has revolutionized the way we connect and communicate. In particular, computer networks have significantly advanced from early ARPANET to today’s globally connected internet. These technologies have not only changed how we do business but also society and the direction of technological advancements. With new developments such as 5G, IoT and other emerging technologies, networking continues to become more essential and accessible in our daily lives. The key today is ensuring security and scalability while maintaining a strong user experience.

Security

Having the right network infrastructure is imperative. The push to hybrid or remote workspaces brings a new level of complexity to IT infrastructure demands. To securely stay connected, modern networking solutions play an incredibly important role, especially when looking to accommodate new edge and access layer requirements. Daily, hackers are continually seeking new ways to attack businesses leaving no choice but to strengthen defense measures and monitoring systems. When modernizing network access, visibility and security capabilities, it is paramount to protect against all variations of cyber attacks. Below are 4 tips to keep in mind when securing your modern network:

  1. Do not only encrypt transmissions, also pay attention to assigning rights and control access.
  2. For high-level security, simplify the management of the network and security infrastructure. It is ideal to consider security at the network planning stage as opposed to adding security infrastructure to a new network after the fact.
  3. Highly integrated solutions that work together reduce complexity. For example, SD-WAN comes with out-of-the-box encryption.
  4. Utilize a multi-layered approach to avoid poor patchwork and individually integrated solutions.

For more read about 7 key strategies for securing a modern network here. 

Scalability

As businesses change and grow, so must their systems. A connected business can seamlessly integrate new technology into its core operations and infrastructure. This will holistically simplify company-wide communication and collaboration through technology and its workforce. It involves designing and implementing a networking infrastructure that can adapt to varying traffic, data volumes and user requirements without compromising performance, reliability and security. Below are four tips for increasing scalability:

  • Covering Edge to Cloud and Access to Core –  Access to Core ensures secure and efficient communication. Cloud integration offers scalability, cost-efficiency and accessibility. This avoids network downtime, enhances performance, ensures application centric visibility and consistently delivers an excellent experience for businesses’ mobile workforce.
  • Migrate Legacy Services to an Efficient, Packet-Based Network – As legacy services age they become harder and more costly to support. Consider migrating to a modern, scalable and efficient network architecture. The right infrastructure will bring legacy services back to life, running seamlessly with the new environment. This also allows services to be managed and supported with available packet networking and IT skillsets. This approach will allow businesses to adapt while ensuring uninterrupted services and SLA compliance while reducing OPEX.
  • Embrace Multi-Layer Optimization (MLO) – Operating distinct optical and packet networks results in network sprawl and high costs for real estate, power and ongoing operations. Embracing MLO principles and leveraging converged packet-optical architecture will cut down the number of network devices by up to 50%. This approach enables support for various service types, including residential broadband, private lines, enterprise business services and 4G/5G mobile services, all while delivering significant cost savings to your business.
  • Shift from ‘adding network capacity’ to ‘scaling on demand’ –  In the 5G and IoT era, adapt to traffic growth by creating a programmable network. Modernize through automation with programmable infrastructure and intelligent orchestration. This programmable infrastructure is paired with intelligent end-to-end network orchestration driven by closed-loop automation. This allows real-time scaling of capacity across all layers and bandwidth on demand for new services, whenever and wherever needed.

User Experience

When considering IT networking for the connected business, IT professionals typically envision a landscape encompassing routers, WANs, disk arrays and numerous endpoints, while end users focus on devices and applications running on them or in the cloud. This emphasizes the significance of application performance. Applications are intrinsically linked to the network and their performance is heavily reliant on it, shaping user and application experiences with each interaction. Ideally, every application, whether hosted internally or in the cloud, should deliver optimal performance and a positive user experience. However, that is not always the case. Here are 3 ways modern networks enhance user experience:

  • Support both IPv4 and IPv6 – When adapting or building an application today, engineers must support all forms of IPv. If neglected, the application will not reach 100% of the internet among other issues.
  • Application Performance Monitoring(APM) – Ensuring an APM system is in place will allow businesses to record and document application traffic, response time and other important variables to application monitoring and success.
  • Scalability and Security – As touched on above, scalability and security are imperative to endpoint success. Applications that can adapt to change while protecting user data will provide unparalleled user experiences.

Embracing modern network infrastructure is crucial for the connected business. Technology will only continue to advance, through proper networking businesses can “future-proof” their systems while remaining secure and providing a strong user experience. Verinext’s expertise in designing, implementing and securing modern networks positions it as a valuable partner for businesses aiming to stay ahead in the digital and hybrid world. If you are interested in stepping up your networking click here.

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