It is easy to take technology like connectivity for granted when everything is working as it should.
By Mandy Duncan, country manager for HPE Aruba Networking South Africa
However, earlier this year as companies across South Africa abruptly lost access to everything from their e-mail systems to video-conferencing tools and websites, that invisible infrastructure that powers people’s day-to-day business lives was suddenly a critical point of focus.
While it was later discovered that undersea cable failures between South Africa and Europe were responsible for the internet chaos across the country – an incident entirely beyond the control of local IT departments – it did prompt business leaders to consider the severe ramifications of poor connectivity and spotlighted the crucial role of network resilience.
Downtime can quickly become a costly business, with the Central Bank estimating that the energy crisis alone reduced the nation’s economic growth rate by as much 3.2 percentage points in 2022. Against this backdrop, local businesses simply can’t afford to add network issues to their list of business continuity challenges.
One way of mitigating against downtime is for organisations to take a closer look at their redundancy plans and account for a wide range of unforeseen scenarios – including internet outages such as the one that happened in March.
To ensure they are prepared for future incidents, businesses should consider solutions that allow them to continue operating on their local network even when they can’t connect to the public cloud or servers outside their organisation.
The drive towards better digital experiences
Beyond the need for always-on, universal coverage, companies are under pressure to deploy connectivity solutions that are not only increasingly secure, but that can also improve customer and employee experiences, while generating new revenue streams.
Numerous challenges can hinder progress – from limited budget to a shortage of skills and legacy infrastructure. In fact, while around 85% of South African CEOs were focused on reducing operating costs last year, it’s also estimated that local businesses are struggling to acquire the skills needed for around 77 000 digital jobs.
The question is – how do company leaders overcome these challenges while still achieving the smarter, faster, more secure connectivity needed to drive their digital aspirations?
The benefits of an efficient, cloud-native network
The answer lies in shifting from previous generation models to automated cloud-native platforms which provide an intelligent view across connections, users, applications, and devices. This includes a combination of private and public cloud resources designed to provide organisations with greater control of their IT environments.
Without a cloud-based, modern networking platform, gaining full network visibility and control can be challenging. The swell of apps, the variety of users and devices, and the rapidly expanding data sources from business growth create more complexity than traditional networks can handle.
However, having universal network visibility and control means companies can accommodate this complexity by accelerating the benefits of network automation from edge to cloud.
AI is a game-changer
With so many moving parts impacting the network, increased security threats, and growing reliance on superior connectivity, IT resources are stretched.
Businesses need intelligent automation in a cloud networking platform that identifies what is connected to the network and offers proactive insights. Many devices and networks create chaotic noise for the network team, but automation can quiet the din of alerts and actions and reduce inquiries to the help desk — especially when delivered through an intuitive, centralised platform.
IT tasks such as onboarding users, making network changes, and enforcing policies can be automated at scale. In fact, AI can help resolve network issues before the IT team even needs to intervene.
At the same time, businesses can use special automated controls to monitor network access and device interactions, especially in IoT environments, to keep their network secure.
In fact, when it comes to continuously optimising the network, AI is a game-changer – not only helping to alleviate pressure on constrained resources, but also to mitigate against the impact of skills shortages and reduce operational costs.
Making network modernisation more affordable
It becomes more financially viable for companies to upgrade from legacy network solutions and boost automation by leveraging network as a service (NaaS). With flexible options, businesses can more easily add sites and digital programmes, supporting their business growth.
Instead of a one-time capital expenditure, NaaS allows enterprises to consume their network infrastructure through a flexible subscription-based offering, which can be accounted for as an operational expense. And this would include all hardware, software, licences, and services.
Through this process, companies can still access the latest and greatest technology when resourcing is tight by paying only for what they deploy.
Investing in modern, reliable network solutions isn’t a luxury; it’s an imperative for businesses. As local organisations increasingly find themselves under pressure to increase day-to-day efficiencies in a secure and sustainable way, while also driving product innovation and creating room for new revenue opportunities, network resilience becomes non-negotiable.
Modernising networks, powered by AI, isn’t just smart – it’s the best way for businesses to deliver on their mandates in spite of a growing number of local challenges.