Building the Next-Gen Intelligent Network

Enterprise networks are coming under increasing stress.

What was once only an asset used to share corporate resources on corporate computers across an organization is today evolving into the means by which qualified employees and customers access needed company information from any place at any time from any device.

To manage the growing need to disseminate information to end users and customers on an on-demand basis, corporate IT organizations are increasingly turning to the use of cloud computing and virtualization.

Increasingly, the traditional corporate network is fading as the network of choice; today, employees and customers alike choose to connect to corporate resources through their own personal devices, not only in the office, but remotely over the Internet as well.

As a result, CIOs find themselves creating networks that provide access to all users - on demand - regardless of where they are located or the means they use to access information.

Keeping the network secure and setting priorities on the use of personal hardware is a major issue for CIOs.

Moreover, as advances in personal device technology drive an increasingly skyrocketing demand for this type of access, CIOs must also address the need to provide increased capability without associated skyrocketing budgets.

The trend toward the increasing accommodation of all types of mobile device access, the use of cloud computing, and the use of virtualization has a momentum of its own.

More and more companies find that they need to flex and adjust to incorporate these capabilities into their networking business models or else fall behind competitively.

Enter: the intelligent network. Imagine a network that can manage input and interfaces from a variety of end users and customers regardless of the type of access.

Imagine developing an application within the network, which simultaneously acts as a friendly front end while it manages access points and devices.

Such an intelligent network will distribute information and applications to the right user at the right time - on demand. It is a sophisticated response mechanism that is always ready, and one that can expand as future requirements demand.

The Intelligent Network is on its way. Today’s modern knowledge workers and consumers demand it. It will manage input from a variety of devices and users and do it on demand.

CIO’s will realize new freedom. They will be freed from working on project-to-project work and allowed to focus on IT innovation in their companies.

The answer lies in the development of the Intelligent Network. Here is what to expect:

• The triumvirate of BYOD, cloud computing, and virtualization are rapidly changing enterprise networks and must be embraced as IT evolves
• While care must be taken to keep networks secure, Incorporating this triumvirate of technologies can reduce costs and improve network value
• In the coming era of intelligent networks, smart phones, media tablets, and personal media players used on the Internet will exceed the size of the total PC market
• Today’s new knowledge workers want to work in the same way that they live, that is, using the Internet to communicate and maintain relationships
• IT departments need to securely deliver sensitive data on IT-owned and employee-owned devices
• Virtualization simplifies infrastructure and makes it more efficient
• Cloud computing provides decreased infrastructure costs, economies of scale, and IT (corporate) flexibility