Is the telephone dead, if so

When I entered the world of technology, I was selling PaBX. I could with integrity say this was the most important technology a company owned. With this confidence I would go about my business, feeling the world was with me. I remember my confidence ballon being completely deflated during a meeting. A customer who wanted to use VoIP, but whose WAN was at maximum, decided against the network changes needed for VoIP because .... his data was more important than his voice. Once a week, this customers regional newspaper titles would send their newspapers in digital format from around the country, to be printed at one of his newspaper printing presses. He said that during print time, his data was more important than his voice communication. It was the first, but not the last time a customer rated voice communication lower than top spot. PaBX was no longer the most important technology.

It is evident now and has been for many years, that this is mostly true. PaBX has slipped into the same bracket as the once mighty Fax Machine. My children rarely use the phone. Social media, IM, Skype, Web-chat, WhatsApp, Messenger and Text are their preferred communication methods. Many companies also have applications, that are critical and manage their whole workflow. Try and make a choice, which is the most important modern day technology?

I think I have the answer. It is always there, it allows every technology to function, but you never see it. Without it, nothing works. It is The Network, especially the Network Core. At the centre of every ISP Network is the Network Core. The same for every business. There could be a Network Core, Data Centre Core, Distribution and Edge Network. No matter how powerful an Application or Communications technology is, without the Core (and a well programmed, secure one at that!) it is a vehicle with no wheels. It is a train with no tracks. Everything uses the Network.

Networks have become more complex. VPN out of the office, Security at the edge and Network Access Control at its centre, Software Defined Security Networks, ensure a safe network. VLans, CoS, QoS and other ensure it works at its optimum. They also ensure GDPR is complied with.

Take pause, the network fails, every device has become standalone. No one is working. With this in mind, let me provide a little advice, as a very high-level template for a winning network:

1. Resilient - no single points of failure. Test a partial failure regularly.
2. UPS - protect your investment with power backup and from damaging power surges. Test the UPS regularly.
3. Keep your security high, keep software levels up to date. Use cloud supplemented security to keep firewalls always up to date.
4. Use perimeter firewalls.
5. Use internal firewalls.
6. Use Network Access Control internally and avoid damage from friendly fire.
7. Remove risk from your BoYD users by using a per app VPN. This provides you the security you need and at the same time does not place restrictions on how a employees use their own smart device.
8. Configure networks for your security, GDPR and speed. There is too much going on in your network to throw your Business Critical communication on the M25 at rush hour.

If you haven't had a granular network assessment in the past year, time to do it again. Don't leave any murky back alleys in darkness for long. All kinds of nasties breed in the dark...