Adopting Next Generation Networks to Supercharge your organisation's growth strategy

Next Generation Networks to Supercharge growth

In this post-pandemic, hybrid working and digitally-led era, the demands that organisations place upon their?infrastructure have simply never been greater. Today's internet-focused businesses need an agile, secure and scalable network to support their customers, employees and partners, while still offering the speed and flexibility they need to compete in their markets. With this topic being very close to my heart, I thought it would be fun in my first LinkedIn blog to explore what is needed from next generation networks (NGNs), the use cases and influences that drive adoption and highlight how organisations can fully maximise the benefits.

Emerging customer experience technologies are changing the way businesses deliver their products and services. Customer experience is King!

Many customers, both B2B and B2C, are demanding more from their relationships with vendors. In addition to expecting lower prices for products and services, customers want companies that are able to deliver unique and consistent experiences across channels. They also want their interaction with the brand to be personalized based on what they've previously done with it—both online and offline—and how well those actions align with their needs at any given time.

To meet these rising demands for increasingly complex customer experiences, organisations are turning toward emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR).

In my business, I want to be able to consume innovative tech and package this into my product that delivers the right differentiated Customer Experience. I want it to be the best experience I can deliver, with the right infrastructure underpinning my ability to keep up with evolving customer demands.

New infrastructure requirements are pushing companies to rethink how they connect their offices and secure their networks.

As we enter a new realm of hybrid working, mass adoption of cloud services and reimagined new workspaces, companies are having to rethink how they connect their offices and secure their networks. A single pane of glass is no longer enough; you need an agile network that can scale on demand, with the automated ability to handle, segment and prioritise applications. And security needs to be built into every layer of the network - right from the get go - so that you can protect critical assets while still providing users with access to the tools they need to do their jobs effectively. Work isn't a place you go to, it's something you do, regardless of location or device. I want that same experience, anywhere at anytime that allows me to do what I need to - quickly AND securely.?

Next Generation Networks (NGN) provide a platform to deliver against these changing demands. NGNs combine cloud technology with Software Defined Networking (SDN) capabilities so you’re able to scale rapidly without having to make expensive upgrades or be burdened with slow, laborious manual processes that impact your ability to quickly pivot as new demands arise.

Moreover, multicloud strategies are very much here to stay. Organisations are typically leveraging multiple Hyperscaler CSPs whilst also retaining a degree of private cloud - either to support legacy applications that are too heavy or complex to move to public cloud, or for data sovereignty reasons. Whichever clouds you are using, having the right on-ramp connectivity, local breakout and the right level of end-to-end visibility are key to brilliant performance and experience. By adopting the right network strategy, you can even minimise the egress charges associated to extracting your data from hyperscaler platforms. After all, why would you send data to the cloud when you don't need to….and why don't you allow your intelligent Next Generation Network to control and police this in an automated fashion?

The internet of things (IoT) is placing demands on the network to be Smart and Sustainable

The concept of the internet of things (IoT) isn't a new one. Smart 'things' have been around for a long time…counting people, controlling temperatures, lockers, coffee machines but to name a few. What we're now seeing is the application of contextual awareness to instigate a series of automated events.

Let's take an example, in this new 'modern' workplace where an office sees peaks of employees on Tuesday to Thursday but might be practically empty on a Friday and at weekends. How can you make better use of your infrastructure to minimise costs and energy usage in support of your Net Zero strategy? Wouldn't it be great to have an infrastructure that enables IoT devices to talk to each other, so that on a 'quiet' day I'm going to automatically reduce heating and switch off unused wireless access points in unoccupied parts of the building. Through the use of next generation SDWAN, clever middleware and IoT integration we're doing exactly that at BT right now to go 'Beyond the Network' and support a reimagined Smart workspace.

We're seeing a big shift change in Sustainability no longer being a 'tick box' in requirements…it’s inherent in everything an organisation needs to work towards, and that needs to be demonstrated in an infrastructure that supports sustainability goals. For the first time, we can now demonstrate the sustainability of a network and even compare vendor technologies to enable organisations to make an informed and responsible choice. It's for this exact reason that BT are building our future propositions with sustainability in mind. With this ethos, we open up further opportunities to integrate into customer ecosystems, elevate the value of supply chains and drive more innovation in a digital-first yet sustainable way.

But what about Security?

Simply put, it's your number 1 consideration!

Many organisations understand the importance of taking the right approach to security and all things cyber, yet don't include the right stakeholders or list out functional/non-functional security requirements early enough in the process. Security, cloud, infrastructure, customer experience (internal and external), all of these things must work in a harmonious, integrated ecosystem to really drive the benefits but most importantly police, control and limit risk to the organisation.

Technology is a wonderful enabler but also a dangerous tool when it falls into the wrong hands. Moreso now, it is critical to have consistent policies and tools in place to mitigate such activity, and your infrastructure is only as strong as its weakest point of entry. Put yourself in a scenario where you have a shiny new Smart network, you have all of the firewalls, proxies, endpoint protection in place, you've made investments in SIEM and SOC, and you've got 'best in breed' for each siloed area. You may have even dabbled with the idea of Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). But how do all of these integrate, and have you developed a scenario playbook in the event of let's say a ransomware attack? Can you control east-west traffic and segment the network to limit the impact of the breach? Which levers do I pull first, and in what order, to stop this from happening and ensure my crown jewel assets aren't compromised? What about all of these IoT smart 'things', have I got a consistent end-to-end posture? And what about my own workforce, how do I limit the impact if their credentials are somehow compromised!? Segmentation is the answer, but how do you plan that effectively.

This is why security has to be front and centre of a network transformation - engage your CISO early and let them drive the requirement so that you build a brilliant platform together, one that can enable the business but in a secure way.

How can my business benefit from the next generation of networks?

The next generation of networks can enable you to:

• Be agile, flexible and secure. The ability to adapt and pivot on changing demands is critical to the survivability of any business. Build something that enables and embraces change, not inhibit it.
• Reduce costs and increase your speed to market. You'll reduce the time it takes to develop new services, experiences or products with an agile network that provides the right experiences for the right applications.
• Elevate your employees experience. They'll communicate better with applications that work brilliantly. They'll be empowered to deliver and be more inclined to stay working for an organisation that provides great technology to amplify the work they can achieve
• Support your sustainability goals. Choose a sustainable vendor, and have an infrastructure that can report, measure and track against performance.

Conclusion

So what does this mean for your business? A number of organisations are in a varying state of different investment horizons, and with the backdrop of current economic instability the importance of making the 'right' investment has rarely been more critical. One thing is for certain, for any organisation - private or public sector - as we leverage technology and digitally-enable our operations more than ever before. Connectivity has never been more important!

By adopting the right strategy, with the right experts you can fully realise the brilliant outcomes this Next Generation approach affords.

Thanks for reading!