Network Performance
Pave the way for a successful
infrastructure migration
There are many tools available to
help the network evolution process run more
smoothly.
by Jennifer Robinson McAdams
Real-time, bandwidth-intensive multimedia
applications, mobility, and industry and
government regulations are challenging
enterprise networks to provide services in a
highly secure, scalable and reliable manner.
Many enterprises are still relying on older
platforms that do not have the capacity or
features to help businesses evolve to new
communication and collaboration methods,
including new media, such as video and Web
2.0 tools.
Advances found in today’s technology
provide a range of compelling benefits that
benefit the bottom line. Newer solutions
provide improved productivity, heightened
protection and simplified operations. A
technology refresh can help companies
achieve technology readiness, improve
competitiveness and lower the network’s
total cost of ownership. While companies may
realize the need to migrate to platforms
designed to handle current and future
networking and communications challenges,
this evolution can seem costly and daunting.
Some of the concerns network administrators
face include:
Security. More end-user
facing, real-time applications and wireless
communications have exposed networks to
potential security risks that traditional
firewalls do not address.
Compliance. New industry
and government regulations require
heightened security for data at rest and
data in motion, as well as reporting
mechanisms to validate the security.
Performance.
Voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP)
applications and video
communications–including IP-based
videoconferencing and surveillance, digital
signage, and telepresence–require increased
bandwidth and quality of service to provide
an optimal experience.
Globalization. Business
processes are rapidly and continually
changing in today’s enterprises, and
processes include partners, customers and
suppliers from around the world. In
addition, employees require on-demand access
to business communication and collaboration
tools–regardless of their location.
Sustainability. An
increased focus on the environment is
changing the way businesses buy, operate and
decommission IT equipment. Companies are
using technology to reduce travel, utilizing
power efficiency features and ensuring the
proper disposal of IT equipment.
To address all of these factors requires
an intelligent, integrated network with
resiliency and support that is not available
in legacy networking equipment, so many
enterprises are considering migrating to
more modern infrastructure. The migration to
a network capable of supporting current and
future critical business applications
requires planning. The following tools and
programs can help companies evaluate which
solutions best fit their network, business
and financial needs.
Assess. Current
network-assessment tools can create a
comprehensive inventory of an enterprise’s
network and provide a detailed report of
when equipment needs to be refreshed to meet
a business’ changing objectives.
Calculate. ROI
calculators can be used to run an analysis
to accompany a network refresh proposal.
Detailed scenarios with varying inputs allow
enterprises to compare different options.
These tools help enterprises walk through
the financial impact of increasing uptime,
simplifying operations and enabling new
services.
Consult. Consulting
sessions can help make the network refresh
and upgrade process a seamless one. Engaging
knowledgeable solution providers allows
businesses to successfully deploy and
operate technologies and optimize their
performance throughout their network
lifecycle. For channel partners, providing
the full life cycle of services helps drive
growth, profitability and customer
satisfaction.
Lease. Expanded finance
and lease options are increasingly important
in challenging economic times. Leasing can
significantly lower the initial cash outlay
and enable a company to begin the network
refresh process sooner. There are numerous
lease options with flexible terms available.
Green. Equipment
trade-in or take-back programs are available
to eliminate the environmental concerns of
disposing of old equipment. These programs
often include financial incentives to help
ease the network refresh process, which
allows organizations to address current
networking needs with the assurance that
they are getting the most from existing
investments.
Jennifer Robinson McAdams is senior
manager, network systems marketing, for
Cisco, San Jose, Calif.
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