Five ways managed network services reduce enterprise technology complexities

Network modernization is a top infrastructure investment priority for 53% of network decision-makers, a study by Information Services Group, Inc. (ISG) shows. Tech environments are becoming more complex than ever as businesses adapt to a digital-first world; these complexities increase significantly when enterprises manage distributed data, applications, users and access points, making it a constant struggle to manage and monitor network functionality.

Several business priorities are driving these technology investments-nearly half of them around the goal of increasing operational efficiencies. Gartner® estimates that over $170 billion will be spent annually by 2027 on enterprise connectivity and managed connectivity services to support hybrid work and an increased focus on digital acceleration.

This massive focus on the digital landscape demands hypervigilant network management to balance seamless connectivity and security to keep operations streamlined. This can be a distraction from an organization's core business.

An organization faces many challenges associated with network maintenance and management. From network design and implementation to ongoing monitoring and support, the resources and investments made in these functions must be constantly optimized for performance and high availability. Investing in an in-house team or allocating resources from an existing team (that may already be stretched too thin) to develop a strategy and implement solutions for these challenges may seem like a natural step. However, the cost of building an in-house team may end up being higher than expected and difficult to sustain.

Let's take a deeper dive into the challenges in network management and maintenance that often interfere with an organization's plan to focus on its core business and can impact the bottom line.

1. Building a scalable in-house technical team

As an organization grows and expands, building an in-house technical team to manage and maintain an enterprise network may seem like a viable option. But building a scalable team can be challenging and expensive. A networking team of about 10, including field engineers, network engineers, support staff, equipment, tools and training, may cost up to $2.5-$3M annually. This doesn't include network and network security hardware and software.

With an organization's growth, scalability can often become complex-whether with devices, people or locations. It may make more sense to partner with a provider that already has a team of dedicated network management experts who are well-versed in the most advanced technologies and can custom-build solutions and services based on specific needs. This can prove to be a huge advantage for organizations expanding their operations (within or outside the existing geographies), without bearing the overhead of maintaining a large team.

2. Strategically managing the complexities of cloud-managed networking solutions

Digital transformation is rapidly driving hybrid and multi-cloud adoption. Enterprises today need experts to manage these complex networks and provide a strategic approach to manage and simplify them, improving costs and enabling global scalability. The challenges increase further when network and cloud infrastructure must operate seamlessly.

A Cisco study found that 30% of cloud professionals surveyed struggled to maintain operational consistency between cloud environments and the existing network infrastructure. Many enterprises implement cloud-managed networking solutions (e.g. Meraki) that provide easy-to-use yet powerful platforms to meet the needs of today's digital landscape. an enterprise can use such a platform to establish a network infrastructure that is reliable, secure and agile enough to support the ever-evolving needs of the business through cloud-managed networking solutions. But managing and optimizing cloud networking solutions can be complicated and time-consuming, requiring a high level of network and security expertise. Enterprises need to invest in building expertise in design, deployment, regular monitoring and management to accomplish their network infrastructure transformation. They also need highly skilled professionals to manage complex networking infrastructure and seamlessly integrate cloud-managed networking solutions.

3. Optimizing vendor partnerships to maximize efficiency and control costs

Identifying, selecting and managing network technology vendors can be a daunting task that can result in increased costs and inefficiencies. The cost of integration and support in multivendor network scenarios may sometimes be more than the cost of the equipment itself. Having a single point of contact with broad industry expertise can be a helpful guide in selecting the best vendors, negotiating contracts and managing vendor relationships to optimize investments for the best outcomes.

4. Managing infrastructure deployments with speed and agility

As businesses and technology needs evolve, enterprises are driving complex and large-scale deployments that often require thousands of devices and locations to go online quickly. Managing such infrastructure deployments can become particularly challenging, requiring careful handling to avoid compromising network performance. Whether your objective is continuous monitoring and maintenance of the systems or efficient network management to ensure seamless connectivity and performance, it is essential to implement efficient, robust and reliable enterprise network management.

A study by IDC predicts that by 2026, at least 75% of enterprises will seek support from trusted partners to take on the responsibilities of deployment, operational control and technology innovation for at least one major network domain.

5. Optimizing and improving security posture

We are in an age where information technology and operations technology do not work in silos. Because these capabilities and domains tend to overlap, there is a heightened need to optimize and protect data and assets. While AI-based network tools are expected to improve the security posture, a thorough assessment of these tools to fulfill the specific security needs of an organization is critical to ensuring success. Based on factors like industry, organization size and infrastructure environment, security needs can differ. Only by identifying the right tools-intrusion detection system, security audit and compliance checks, to name a few-can an organization ensure that it has the robust protection and optimized network efficiency its systems need to operate at peak performance.

‍Four questions to ask a potential managed network services partner

‍Partnering with experts in network management and monitoring can help enterprises concentrate on their core business while maintaining a competitive edge. Such a collaboration can ensure seamless connectivity and enhance the user experience. When you're looking for a managed network services provider, you'll want to be confident that they meet your core operational goals. Ask questions like:

1. Do they have a global reach?
2. Are they partnering with the most advanced technology providers and OEMs?
3. Can they scale based on your growth-be it a remote location in another country or expanding capacity at your current location?
4. Do they have an experienced team with all the latest training and certifications?

As technology continues to evolve, the importance of managed network services to achieving your operational goals will only grow, making them an indispensable part of any successful business strategy.

To learn more about how NCR Atleos Managed Network Services can help your operation, email [email protected].

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