Author: Rose de Fremery
Date published: September 17, 2024
Hybrid cloud networking is becoming a highly sought-after component of how enterprises seek to manage the growing complexity of their networks. According to the June 2023 Futuriom SD-WAN and SASE managed services report, 98% of respondents want a hybrid solution that can accommodate networking and security both on premises and using cloud points of presence.
A hybrid network and SD WAN can help provide enterprises with the connectivity and insights needed to power their digital transformations and adapt to changing needs in near real-time, even on a global scale when required. As such, hybrid cloud networking could help organizations achieve Enterprise Intelligence. Here are a few key points that enterprise leaders need to know about hybrid networks, how they work and the benefits they can provide.
A hybrid network has at least two kinds of network infrastructure that are integrated together. This might be a combination of networks connecting traditional on-premises data centers and public cloud architecture. Alternatively, it might be a mix of network architectures, such as some directly owned and operated by the company in question and some owned and operated by a co-location or hosting firm. In most cases, a hybrid network has some elements that the company manages and others that a third party is responsible for administering.
When an enterprise chooses to deploy a hybrid network, it often does so in order to achieve the agility and flexibility required to meet rapidly evolving business goals. According to an Omdia survey, features that attract enterprises to alternative hybrid connectivity models include:
Traditional corporate networks can be fixed and inflexible, encompassing narrowly defined perimeters in data centers that were owned and operated by the company itself. While this legacy network architecture originally made some aspects of administration and network security easier to manage, it is not nearly nimble enough to support the requirements of an enterprise going through a digital transformation.
There are multiple factors limiting the ability of enterprises to make the kind of progress they want. According to SoftwareOne’s 2023 CIO Pulse, digital transformation efforts are lagging due to technical debt (72%) and complex legacy IT infrastructure (51%). This is further compounded by IT skills shortages. A majority of CIOs (59%) said staff and skills shortages were inhibiting their implementation of strategic and innovative plans, according to the State of the CIO Study 2024 by Foundry, an IDG, Inc. company. It is partly for this reason that many enterprises are outsourcing at least some of their network services, maximizing the advantages of hybrid cloud networking in the process.
Since there are many different kinds of hybrid networks available today, each approach works a bit differently from the others. For example, NaaS' virtualized architecture, SD WAN capabilities and cloud-centric solutions can complement an enterprise's existing network architecture while still allowing it to become more agile and dynamic. An enterprise can choose to consume specific network services, resources or applications on an as-needed basis rather than committing to hefty capital investments in advance. Not only does this model give the business more flexibility concerning its budget, but it also allows for rapid deployment and elasticity, so the business can adapt to changing circumstances and requirements as they need. It would not be easy for a company relying solely on legacy network infrastructure to accomplish these objectives.
Enterprises can use their hybrid networks in multiple ways. For example, global food and beverage supplier Tate & Lyle leveraged a managed SD WAN solution to transform its outdated network, achieving a centralized dashboard with which it could seamlessly add endpoints across the 28 countries where it has operations—all while applying the necessary security policies and configuration settings to them. The company was also able to use its SD WAN capabilities to maximize the value of its redundant network resources, gaining control over costs and realizing significant savings in the process.
Meanwhile, international media, services and education company Bertelsmann leveraged its SD WAN-enabled, application-aware network to quickly scale when needed, deftly accommodating seasonal fluctuations across its various businesses. By moving applications and services to the cloud, the corporate IT team was able to achieve significant efficiencies as well.
Hybrid cloud networking offers enterprises an array of benefits, including but not limited to the following:
According to the 2023 Insight Intelligent Technology Report, 82% of organization leaders believe they must invest in digital transformation or be left behind. The network is a key pillar of digital transformation and hybrid networks can help provide the agility, flexibility and scalability that enterprises need to keep up with the pace of digital transformation and ensure a bright future of continued business growth.
Learn more about how Verizon’s Enterprise NaaS can help your business.
The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.