Networking is more than just a tool for wired and wireless connectivity; it can differentiate businesses from the competition and help them surpass business goals. The rapid pace of advancements in the ever-evolving arena of high-level, enterprise networking has created a set of unprecedented challenges for today's network manager.
In today's complex environment, the mobile workforce continues to grow, pressuring businesses to provide consistent real-time access to applications regardless of when, where or how users connect. At the same time, businesses are faced with separately managed wired and wireless networking solutions that are complex, expensive and inflexible.
The exchange of mission-critical knowledge via voice, video, and data requires convergence through a single network in order to simplify and streamline communication systems. And now, with all networks becoming public networks, proprietary information is more sensitive than ever. Therefore, the need for the highest security levels without compromising access (while at the same time still providing the appropriate exchange of information) has never been more important.
Home improvements
These issues compel organisations to rethink the status of their networks - which likely could lead to an extensive upgrade. Infrastructure solutions must be more robust than ever. They need to offer a superior return on IT, reduced complexity, trusted security, proven reliability, choice and flexibility.
To secure and simplify business as the mobile workforce and network grow, companies demand advanced networking solutions that address the following needs:
* Improved scalability
* High network availability
* Continuous network visibility and control
* Secure wireless access and threat mitigation
* Support for VOIP and other intelligent end-point devices
* Mobility - Control the network's wireless and wired environment
* Convergence - Streamline and maximise the network
* Improved scalability and high network availability
To remain competitive, enterprise businesses must adjust to changing business needs quickly and effectively. Therefore, they need incrementally scalable networks to save time and provide flexible connectivity. Businesses also need reliable access to critical applications. Network service interruptions can result in lost revenue and reduced productivity.
Continuous network visibility and control:
As networks grow and become integral to business operations, customers need robust distributed management solutions to effectively monitor network performance and availability.
Secure wireless access and threat mitigation:
Protecting corporate information assets - while enabling appropriate, network access anywhere and at any time - defines the ultimate in network infrastructure expectations. Businesses need seamless and secure access to critical information and processes. To safeguard confidential information from both internal and external threats and improve productivity, businesses need solutions that can secure their most valuable assets while allowing advanced wireless access capabilities. With intelligence enabled at the edge of the network, the centre becomes more robust and better able to handle increasing demands.
Enterprise businesses must adjust to changing business needs quickly and effectively.
Lorna Hardie is ProCurve Networking business unit manager at HP South Africa.
The solutions should allow for appropriate wired and wireless access, and security at the point of access. This enables the enterprise to expand the value and reach of applications and data, and to increase worker productivity without compromising network and data integrity.
Support for VOIP and other intelligent end-point devices:
Businesses are using intelligent end-point devices to converge voice, video and data applications. Therefore, they need an infrastructure that can deliver the power, quality of service, interoperability and ease of deployment required for efficient operations. Let the business thrive with robust end-to-end unified wired and wireless solutions that can drive business and increase competitive advantage.
Mobility - Control the network's wireless and wired environment:
Enterprises finally have the opportunity to provide their mobile workers with access to valuable information whenever they need it, while also reducing security risks. They can access solutions that deliver precise control for both wireless and wired environments, along with dependable, persistent connections in and out of the office. They do so by deploying industry-standard networking mobility solutions that address the full range of customer needs, whether users are working from remote desktops or roaming the enterprise campus with a network-enabled notebook, tablet, or PDA. Organisations also need solutions that allow them to address specific business imperatives and technology requirements affordably and with reduced complexity.
Convergence - Streamline and maximise the network:
Implementing voice, video, and data over a single network allows organisations an affordable way to simplify and streamline their communication systems. Converged networks are commonly used to support business environments where employees and customers are demanding access to advanced applications and new ways of collaborating across business objectives.
The convergence solutions should enable all network traffic to run over an Ethernet/IP infrastructure. In addition, these convergence solutions can leverage the organisation's current infrastructure by offering complete flexibility with a choice of tested and documented proven VOIP solutions that interoperate with a variety of vendor products and heterogeneous environments.
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