Preserving the value of your network: how Extreme Fabric helps you increase ROI on your IT infrastructure

Older networks can create substantial obstacles when trying to connect new devices, systems, and locations. The challenges arise not only from the heavy workload required but also from potential compromises in security. These issues span several areas, including compatibility, performance, scalability, security risks, compliance, and regulatory requirements. Here are a few common examples:

Focusing only on the initial expense of launching a new network solution or upgrading an existing one barely scratches the surface. The actual costs run much deeper, as software and hardware rarely operate independently. IT teams often grapple with intricate environments made up of solutions from various vendors and technology generations. This patchwork system management becomes even more demanding when different network segments require separate management tools, thereby increasing operational burdens and inefficiencies.

Simply put, every new component added to the network increases its complexity by creating additional layers of interactions and dependencies, which can drive up costs dramatically. To secure significant savings and ensure long-term efficiency, organizations need solutions that simplify network complexity rather than just adding another technology layer. That's exactly what Extreme Fabric delivers.

Extreme Fabric is built on the IEEE 802.1aq Shortest Path Bridging (SPB) standard, which inherently supports a broad range of industry-standard devices, thereby simplifying the integration of third-party equipment into the network infrastructure.

Automation features like zero-touch provisioning and device auto-sensing simplify onboarding for both Extreme and non-Extreme devices by reducing manual configurations and minimizing integration errors. This solution not only allows non-fabric switches to interact securely and seamlessly with the fabric but also quickly assigns endpoints – such as Wi-Fi access points, IP phones, IoT devices, or client PCs – to the appropriate virtualized fabric service.

Extreme Fabric is versatile enough to be deployed over any wired or wireless connection and is compatible with any network topology. Its true strength is its ability to operate as a single, unified solution that spans the entire network, from data centers to remote branches. The Fabric Extend feature facilitates interoperability with third-party cores and IP-based WANs, ensuring seamless end-to-end services even in mixed-vendor environments. By merging multiple separate physical networks into one fully virtualized network, Extreme Fabric creates a consistent and cohesive operational environment that simplifies network management.

Extreme Fabric integrates seamlessly with the ExtremeCloud IQ Site Engine solution. It’s designed to effortlessly combine and automate operations across both modern cloud-native and older legacy systems, simplifying IT tasks. The solution delivers comprehensive network management, automates processes, and provides analytics, service assurance, and orchestration – all while supporting cloud-native, legacy Extreme, and third-party devices.

Well-maintained and optimized networks deliver superior performance, ensuring continuous operations, rapid adaptation to strategic changes, and quicker returns on investment. Maximizing existing network assets is key for financial efficiency. By prolonging the life of current infrastructure and cutting out unnecessary expenses, such as overlapping costs from redundant upgrades, testing, configuration, vendor management, and licensing, Extreme Fabric allows organizations to postpone or even entirely avoid costly overhauls. Lower capital (CapEx) and operational (OpEx) expenditures directly boost returns on network investments (ROI), resulting in long-term value and increased adaptability.

With Extreme's assistance, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital (ETZ), one of North Brabant’s largest healthcare providers, successfully unified the networks of three different locations into a secure metropolitan network. Extreme Fabric delivered substantial operational and cost benefits by linking specialized medical systems, such as cardiac monitors, radiology equipment, X-ray machines, and scanners. While these devices require rigorous certification and typically have long depreciation periods (often remaining in use for over a decade), they are frequently viewed as outdated from an IT perspective, which can create interoperability challenges with modern networks.

Extreme Fabric safely incorporates legacy medical devices into the network without the need for significant reconfiguration or extra infrastructure.

Organizations that fully optimize their existing network infrastructure can realize substantial cost savings, enhanced ROI, greater operational resilience, and increased strategic agility. Discover the wide-ranging advantages of deploying the world’s most widely adopted, end-to-end, automated, and secure network fabric solution – and the additional benefits of integrating it with Extreme’s highly regarded network management portfolio.