If you have been reading our blog series around the 2023 Global Networking Trends Report, you may have noticed two recurring themes.
First, network infrastructure has become more complex, and second, this complexity is calling for a change in the way we operate.
We have changed where we run everything, we have changed the locations of the end users, and we have moved to a flexible model that adapts to changing needs.
For one thing, most organizations have more than one cloud.
The 2023 Global Networking Trends Report shows that 92% of respondents reported using more than one public cloud, and 69% stated they are using more than five software-as-a-service applications.
Most organizations still support the older, static technology models, and at the same time have to adapt to newer technologies such as virtualization, microservices, Kubernetes, and heavier API use-which each come with different network support requirements.
If you needed support, you had to pull in people from different domains, like the network engineer, the desktop support tech, the security experts, the Exchange admin, the database wizard, the business-embedded software engineer, and possibly a third-party vendor or two.
We still see that problem today with IT operations forming silos.
Silos such as cloud, network, and security operations were cited by 40% of our 2023 Global Networking Trends respondents as a top challenge to providing secure access from distributed locations to multiple cloud-based applications.
None of the networking architectural options of the past few years are static.
One call for an onsite, all-hands meeting will bring the networking load and access requirements back into the building for a few hours or even a few days.
IT operations teams need to plan for a dynamic environment that hides each transition from the user.
Given the dynamic nature of networking requirements, the IT operations and security teams need to converge-providing more alignment in their tools, processes, and people.
Cloud networking requirements are different from those in the data center.
A security executive at a global bank once described to me how they made sure all the networking engineers received cloud training.
Not only did that help with operational alignment, but it also opened up more career opportunities for the staff and empowered them to contribute support in more areas.
All IT teams need a seat at the operations table as well as a unified agenda, including IT operations, networking, cloud services, and security professionals.
End users should also have a seat at the table to add their business-side experience and desired outcomes to networking solutions.
As you go on your journey to consolidate and simplify your infrastructure, take this opportunity to bring all your IT operations teams together, along with users, so that the knowledge, skills, and processes in your network environment evolve as well.
The important message here is that people and processes are every bit as important as technology choices; IT operations should never operate in silos again.
This Cyber News was published on feedpress.me. Publication date: Wed, 17 Jan 2024 16:28:03 +0000