Driving forces of Network Modernization (Part 1)
Network modernization is inevitable and in most cases a good thing. However, many organizations are not prepared for the speed and depth of knowledge required to make their networks next-generation ready. Graphene Networks is here to help by simplifying the process and bringing expertise and depth of knowledge to your IT team. In the first installment of this multi-part article, we will explore some key forces behind network modernization and some of the challenges they impart to IT teams.
Digital Transformation
The root of all network modernization is digital transformation. Digital transformation concerns how businesses adopt technology to help increase process efficiency, drive innovation and improve communication. This isn’t a new concept and its been happening for many decades. The desire to do business more efficiently and across greater geographies has pushed people to develop new technologies. Typewriters and paper gave way to computers and email. Telephones gave way to VoIP and cellular technology. There is more to digital transformation, obviously, but the key element is that technology is being used to improve how a business operates. As process, product and communication move into the digital format it requires networks to grow and security to improve. Hence, network modernization has become a crucial part of nearly all business. Without expansive and sophisticated infrastructure no IT organization would be able to deliver the resources required to fuel the growth of digital business needs. This creates clear challenges for IT teams that are often understaffed and over worked. They are often so consumed by keeping their legacy network functioning that they don’t have time to evaluate and adopt the network technology they need to meet business demand. Keep reading to see how many businesses are solving these issues.
Rising Cost of IT
On top of the current issues with chip shortages and global inflation, IT costs have been on a consistent upward trend since the 1990s. Business processes and work flows that were once done on paper are now done digitally. This means you need someone to manage the technology that allows those processes to function. You also need infrastructure and communication systems that allow people to communicate about those process. So IT budgets grow and the number of people needed to manage the technology must grow with it. The proliferation of IoT devices, BYOD and adoption of Cloud and SaaS have dramatically increased the burden on IT organization budgets. In today’s world of inflated salaries and ballooning hardware costs it is critical to maximize the value and manageability of any technology. So how do organizations stay ahead of the technology curve without increasing costs?
The Managed Services Solution
IT organizations are turning to Managed Services Providers (MSPs) at an increasing rate to help offload their stretched IT teams. MSPs bring larger pools of expertise across more products and make it easier for business to adopt the latest technology. While the IT org is focused on making sure the network runs smoothly an MSP can evaluate and differentiate between multiple products to help the business find the best value and best fit. They also help accelerate the deployment and ease the burden of management by providing services like 24/7/365 monitoring. Perhaps most importantly is that businesses typically save money by utilizing and MSP. The monthly per-device or per-site cost of a managed service is typically much less than the cost of hiring a full-time employee. Even better, is that you’re really getting several technical resources and account managers for that one low per month price.
Why Graphene Networks?
In some ways, Graphene Networks is like any other MSP. We provide professional services, 24/7/365 monitoring and management and pool of expertise across multiple knowledge domains. What makes Graphene Networks different is that we focus on the WAN Edge. While many MSPs are trying to touch every part of a customer network, Graphene is staying focused on our are of expertise. This allows us to provide a greater number of solutions to create a more flexible offering to customers. This means we can provide objective analysis on what products and solutions are the best fit for a particular network. The typical MSP or even Telco offering a managed service will likely offer only 1 or 2 potential products. They offer solutions that are best for them and not the customer. The result is the customer has to do all the shopping and evaluation of not only the technology, but also the MSP. As we said above, IT organizations are already strapped for time. If you want to accelerate your network modernization while being budget conscious, Graphene Networks can be a force multiplier for your organization.