Johannesburg, 14 Jun 2016
The modern workplace is one in which the network is at the core of all things. From basic communications to sophisticated cloud and data centre management, the network is the vascular system that keeps the beating heart of the organisation going.
With the advent of cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IOT), and other technological advances, enterprise networks are coming under mounting pressure. Not only are they growing and increasing in complexity, demand on corporate networks has never been higher. As a result, network management has become a complicated and resource-intensive endeavour.
Jurumani Solutions' Neil Malan says this doesn't have to be the case. "The same way the cloud made provisioning of infrastructure like data centres, storage, etc, easier, it has enabled a whole new world of simplification for networking. Cloud networking is the future of networking, providing centralised management, visibility, and control without the cost and added complexity of controller appliances or overlay management software."
He adds that while cloud networking is the way of the future, that future is here now. "Today, we have reliable, high-performance wireless APs, switches, and security appliances that can be deployed, automatically connect to the cloud, register with a network, and download their configuration. There's no need for network admins to be traipsing around the country to configure different offices and branches any more. They offer complete visibility and control over the entire network over the Web, allowing for the configuration, reporting and diagnostics of thousands of devices with a few clicks."
Cloud networking removes all the resource-intensive functions of traditional networking through automated provisioning and Web-based management, allowing detailed visibility into all network related devices. Effectively, cloud networking allows companies to drill down into every area of their network to diagnose problems, pinpoint bottlenecks, or expand when they need to - with a few clicks of a mouse.
"Cloud-managed solutions enable companies to start small, and grow as they need to. Budgeting therefore shifts from capital expense (capex) to operating expense (opex)," Malan explains. "A cloud-based network eliminates the headaches of managing on-site infrastructure with a dashboard that not only provides detailed views of all network devices, but that can pinpoint specific issues and their solutions. For example, if there's a bandwidth bottleneck at a specific point, or even at a specific time, a few clicks of the mouse can hone in on the exact cause. Similarly, you can see details of every user and every device, so finding that one broken link is now as easy as opening a browser."
Add to that the fact that all network devices such as the firewall, switches, WiFi, etc, are built from the ground up for cloud management, and come out of the box with centralised management, real time web-based diagnostics, monitoring, and reporting, and it's easy to see why cloud networking is set to take over the world.
"There's no need for training or proprietary command line interfaces. Cloud networking is deployed quickly and easily - regardless of the size or complexity of the network - and managed using a fraction of the resources usually required," Malan says. "With full, enterprise-scale network management capabilities, combined with the ease-of-use of the cloud, there's no longer a trade-off between usability and network management features. In light of the operational and financial benefits that cloud networking offers, there's no wonder companies are starting to move in this direction."
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