The irony of technology is that while its sole purpose is to make our lives easier, the complexity that often encompasses its adoption, integration, and operation can be a real swamp to navigate, impacting not only the IT department, but the business in general. The costs that come with the overcomplication of networks are multifaceted too, with financial expenditure being just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s see what lies beneath to learn how to steer your ship in the right direction!
Let’s be frank – no one likes to waste money; even in times of economic prosperity, let alone the global recession we have all found ourselves in. The need for efficiencies and cost-savings has probably never been more vital, and yet, many companies and organizations continue to overspend on technology by ignoring, or being ignorant of, the factor of complexity.
Focusing solely on the upfront price, either of enabling a new network solution or upgrading an existing one, could be compared to only considering the visible tip of an iceberg. That’s because rarely do pieces of software or hardware operate in isolation. In reality, each new addition tends to contribute to the growing web of intricate interaction and interdependence, ramping up the costs not in an additive way, but rather complicated and multiplicative in nature.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the ‘bulk’ of an iceberg, lurking just beneath the surface.
Training and employee enablement
More often than not, acquiring new technology requires your staff to undergo training to operate it effectively. This could mean either recruiting new talent with the necessary capabilities or developing the competence within your current team. However, finding skilled employees is becoming increasingly difficult, and employee retention is something that many companies are struggling with.
Investing in your staff is probably one of the smartest and most beneficial things you can do for your company. However, it’s important to note that we’re not talking about one-time fees. Businesses and organizations need to be prepared for recurring expenditure that includes continuous training, certification, and perhaps even attendance at industry events like conferences and seminars.
Migration and integration
In the world of enterprise networking, and IT in general, solutions rarely come as plug-and-play – they usually demand intricate customization and integration into existing software systems and hardware infrastructure. Paying little attention to how certain solution can be integrated into our current systems and network infrastructure can quickly eat through our budget. In other words, the next big part of our iceberg of hidden costs comes in the form of system migration.
With legacy networks, enabling connectivity for new solutions and technologies can be difficult – not just because of the sheer workload, but also because of the security compromises that sometimes need to be made. Additionally, the costs are not just measured in human effort, but also include business impact of downtime and associated risks.
Operations
You’d think that once you’ve finished this last, complicated migration process, you’re finally out of the woods… Wrong! Soon after, the operational costs kick in. And it’s not just about ‘keeping the lights on’. We’re talking about a range of ongoing expenses related to maintaining, administering, provisioning, troubleshooting, and securing network infrastructure.
To manage complex network environments, many companies and organizations are utilizing sets of different tools that perform very different functions, i.e. performance monitoring, asset tracking, control of application usage etc. Needless to say, multiple network management solutions not only contribute to the growing complexity, but also drive up licensing, staffing, and training costs.
The opposite of complexity? Extreme!
Network complexity comes at a steep price for any organization, and it’s not just monetary losses that’s at stake. Frustrated end-users, delays in delivering value, operational burdens, and security shortcuts are sometimes treated as necessary evil, but as we navigate through the sea of modern business challenges, should we really accept these costs as ‘business as usual’? Definitely not!
As enterprise networks surround, penetrate and bind all technology initiatives together, at Extreme Networks we are focusing on redefining the traditional approach to networking. We are focusing on increasing IT productivity by making the network highly scalable, easier to deploy, and manage, as well as reducing operational expenses and increasing return on investment by providing investment protection and simple migration from existing to new technologies.
To that end, we’ve developed a unique strategy and architecture called One Network, One Cloud, One Extreme. This strategy is based on three key capabilities:
- CONNECT EVERYTHING: One Network approach combines industry leading wireless and wired access with SD-WAN and the industry’s most deployed fabric.
- MANAGE EVERYTHING: One Cloud enables unified management of one network, with centralized, remote configuration and management through a range of deployment options.
- OPTIMIZE EVERYTHING: One Extreme enhanced services help customers optimize solutions and maximize value, while simple universal licensing enables predictable costs.