Have you considered all the benefits of a hybrid network?

In a world where digital interactions can make or break a business, connectivity is essential to businesses of any size, says Mark McCallum, CTO, Director and Head of Global Services Africa for Orange Business Services. Whether the need is to interact with clients, launch new products, deal with complaints, or create a social media presence, without connectivity, it does not exist.

While most business owners would agree that being connected is non-negotiable in a successful business, choosing the right type of network is of equal importance. The wrong choice of network makes it difficult for the IT department to keep data secure, and to deliver fast and reliable cloud applications that aid employee productivity.

The link between the right connectivity and the ability to achieve key business goals cannot be denied. Research data from last year's Riverbed Global Application Performance Survey of end users found an almost 50% increase in the categories of employee productivity, time savings, and cost savings. Customer satisfaction improved by 43%, while delivery of products to market was 33% faster. These user experiences are difficult to ignore and underscore the vital part a network plays in the success of a business.

In the past, it was sufficient to operate on a wide area network (WAN) and a limited number of Internet gateways, but for many businesses, this is no longer adequate. Enterprises report that Internet traffic is doubling each year and now accounts for 40% to 80% of their total WAN traffic.

Best-effort public Internet can also be a risky proposition, providing new vulnerability points for hackers to exploit. High levels of latency also make on-demand software virtually unusable. Therefore, a new approach is needed to enhance Internet performance and security.

Instead of simply purchasing extra bandwidth, businesses can invest in a more intelligent solution - the hybrid network. Hybrid networks allow one to shift data flows between cost-effective enhanced Internet and high-speed private MPLS network links, based on the needs of the business.

Many businesses struggle with the challenge of prioritising traffic across private and public infrastructure in the cloud era, while also addressing application performance and security threats more strategically. Hybrid networks address the business's three main online objectives, increasing employee productivity, achieving customer service excellence, and driving profitable growth.

With hybrid networks, routing decisions are made dynamically across private and public links, depending on the importance of data flows to your business, as well as security, latency, packet loss, and network congestion considerations. The stability of the network makes it reliable, fast, and secure, which is essential to meet the needs of real-time applications such as VOIP and video. Cost-effective network extensions using enhanced Internet provides the reliability needed to access public cloud-based applications. Hybrid networks also provide end-to-end visibility and dynamic control over application performance and security through central network intelligence.

Given the strong correlation between the right connectivity and business performance, operations that are not already making use of a hybrid network should enquire what it could do for the bottom line.