Running IT departments requires a keen understanding of what is needed now to ensure seamless operational efficiency, and what will be needed in the future for continued success. There are finite resources at hand — energy, time and money; they must be used most efficiently to provide the technological backbone needed by all enterprise processes. To assist in the prediction of strategic necessities, here are three factors I believe will have a high impact on business continuity in 2024.
Video Collaboration
Look For: Enhanced Communication and Productivity
Avoid: Stressing the Network
Video applications are used across industries for everything from collaborating and problem solving with colleagues, to training sessions, to providing customer services like telehealth appointments. While the use of this technology grew exponentially with many working from home, these applications are so entrenched in business operations that they won’t disappear with return-to-office mandates. Employees will still reach for videoconferencing to connect them with others who aren’t in the same office building — whether that be with a colleague or client in the same state or in another country.
Networks — wired and WiFi — must be resilient enough to withstand the growing dependency of video collaboration. They must support the upload and download of real-time data; otherwise, meeting attendees will experience distorted video, speech delays and other issues.
To keep communication and productivity on track, IT professionals must have:
- End-to-end user experience metrics that measure how capable networks are of supporting video platforms. Metrics measured must include latency, jitter, dropped packets and the Mean Opinion Score.
- Real-time analytics for video collaboration software and all other network devices, applications, and infrastructure to identify and resolve issues with pinpoint accuracy.
- Complete visibility into the entire network ecosystem so there are no behavior and performance mysteries.
- Automatic, proactive alerts to issues as soon as they occur and before users are impacted, rather than reactive alerts from inconvenienced users.
The 6GHz Frequency Band and WiFi 6E Migration
Look For: Expanded Connectivity
Avoid: Interoperability Issues
WiFi 6E appeared on the market soon after the release of WiFi 6. While the two deliver similar benefits for enterprises, WiFi 6E devices are alone in their ability to use the new unlicensed 6GHz spectrum. This is the first time in over a decade that the amount of available unlicensed spectrum has changed so this is far from your run-of-the-mill migration.
Yes, the 6GHz spectrum will be less congested and offer less signal interference since it will only allow 6E devices, and adds 14 additional 80MHz channels and 7 additional 160MHz channels. Yes, the faster data throughput and lower latency are exciting, especially for technologies such as cloud computing, augmented and virtual reality, and instantaneously uploading / downloading extremely large files.
But, networks and network ecosystems are going to significantly change with the new frequency band. Migrations need to move slowly and steadily to avoid interoperability issues. Technology leaders must prep their teams to be ready to:
- Analyze end user metrics to predict which departments need the upgrade first. Migrations are expensive and time consuming; that time and money should be spent where the ROI will be the greatest.
- Redesign AP deployment to better provide 6GHz connectivity. The 6GHz spectrum uses shorter wavelengths than its 2.4GHz and 5GHz predecessors. Existing AP placement may not offer the best support for the new technology.
- Ensure redesigns don’t cause roaming issues for devices on any of the three frequency bands.
- Watch and analyze three frequency bands 24/7. Issues of any sort can occur at any time; if all three frequency bands aren’t analyzed 24/7, IT professionals will be missing data. There’s always the chance that the data that teams don’t have will be the data that is needed to identify a root cause and make it possible for IT to implement a resolution.
- Compare network performance before and after transitions both to identify issues and determine if the expected ROI is delivered.
AI-Powered Network Automation
Look For: Complete Wired and WiFi Assurance
Avoid: Manual, Reactive Operations
Enterprises need issue-free wired and WiFi networks. If networks aren’t issue free, organizations need solutions in place that will drastically:
- Reduce the number of issues
- Reduce resolution times
Fewer issues that are in turn resolved faster than ever result in networks that spend more time working optimally and less time causing delays in business continuity. When almost every single business process is dependent on the network, network assurance is a critical need.
Enterprises can try to achieve network assurance through purely manual means, but they will fail. Networks are too complex for this to be possible. Assurance depends on real-time analytics from every single connected device, all infrastructure, and even nearby networks. IT professionals cannot analyze thousands of data packets a second. They need AI-powered network automation.
When teams have the support of these solutions, they have:
- Complete network visibility provided by a solution that never sleeps
- Real-time, automatic problem detection, notification, and identification (root cause analysis)
- Recommended resolutions
- Proactive network testing
- Automated remote troubleshooting
AI-powered network automation solutions deliver in-depth network analytics, down to the device level, so that technology leaders know the precise behavior and performance of their network, and what is needed to improve it. Generalities are not the answer. Enterprises want the best network for their users – and their users have specific needs and pain points. Understanding these, and designing a network that improves user experience, will also improve business performance, reputation and revenue.
AI-powered network automation solutions provide the needed capabilities in a cost-effective and scalable way. This is modern wired and WiFi assurance.
The Details Matter
A network that must be significantly updated or redesigned every year is one that is doing no one any favors. Networks need to meet the needs of enterprise users right now and be adaptable enough to continue providing optimal support for the next three to five years. Build your network to support the three trends of video collaboration, WiFi 6E and the 6GHz band, and network automation, and your network will be resilient, reliable, and give you a competitive edge that lasts beyond 2024.
Roger Sands is the co-founder and CEO of Wyebot, Inc. He has 20+ years of executive management experience under his belt, gained from working with both successful networking startups and Fortune 500 companies, such as the following: Hewlett-Packard’s WW WLAN business, Colubris Networks, Accton Technology, 3com, USRobotics, and Bytex Corporation.
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