Challenge #1: Ineffective multi-cloud deployments
Modern enterprises want capabilities such as Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and machine learning (ML) in the cloud as it allows them to deploy application rapidly without the need to acquire new hardware or develop them in-house. They also want to take advantage of the most cost-effective best-of-breed cloud services that meet their business needs. To ensure smooth access, it is often necessary to establish direct network connections to the relevant cloud platforms, with access for each network negotiated separately.
With multi cloud deployments fast becoming the norm, the situation is set to become even more complicated with the need to interconnect the corporate office, colocation and the cloud. And as each network typically comes with their own contracts and service-level agreements (SLA), this greatly increases the time and energy that IT teams must spend managing them. More importantly, it can also significantly increase the challenge of rectifying outages or troubleshooting network issues.
Recommended solution:
Instead of deploying disparate leased lines from multiple providers and having to allocate resources to separately configure and monitor them, look for network solutions that offer seamless interconnectivity across the corporate office, colocation and the cloud. Some also incorporate machine learning technologies for autonomous and predictive network capabilities, allowing enterprises to focus on growing their core business.
Challenge #2: Limited scalability
As enterprises grow, so do their requirements for multi-cloud usage and on-premises deployments. The inherent complexity of a multi-cloud network means that understanding which part of the network needs to be scaled up can be a trickier proposition than it appears to be. There may also be situations where bandwidth requirements need to be increased temporarily, such as to cater for website traffic during festive seasons, or to support a one-time migration of workloads between a cloud and on-premises location.
Scaling up traditional networks is no easy matter, due to the disparate contracts that must be independently re-negotiated. As getting a temporary increase in bandwidth is usually not an option, this forces CIOs or IT managers to err on the side of caution by deploying a larger network pipe than they need. Excess network capacity is essentially a wasted resource that the enterprise will need to keep paying for long after the decision was made.
Recommended solution
Meeting the fluid bandwidth requirements of modern deployments calls for a solution that lets enterprises easily modify their allocated network bandwidth, preferably in real-time via a self-service portal. In place of traditional long-term contracts, look out for solutions that give enterprises the ability to consume bandwidth in more flexible terms, such as a pay-per-use or usage-based charging model.
Challenge #3: Lack of visibility
As the enterprise network infrastructure expands beyond the data centre and into the cloud, network visibility remains an important criterion to understanding network usage and ensuring that there is adequate bandwidth to meet business requirements. Where necessary, the quality of service (QoS) can be tweaked to favour mission critical or latency-sensitive traffic such as CRM systems and VDI applications.
Managing traffic across multiple traditional networks connecting cloud and colocation is no easy feat, particularly for network segments deployed by different providers. Without adequate visibility into traffic across the network, enterprises cannot be certain if an underperforming service is due to the cloud platform, a network issue, or a bottleneck elsewhere. This lack of visibility can result in lengthy investigations that take up precious time and energy, and may not necessarily resolve the network issue.
Recommended solution:
Be sure to go for a network solution that offers insights into key network metrics like performance, utilisation and latency. This information can be used to enhance network performance and optimise cost efficiency, as well as ensuring that bandwidth spikes or growth in demand are flagged early and seamlessly addressed before users experience any impact.
