The landscape of IT infrastructure is becoming increasingly more complex. At the same time, the costs associated with IT infrastructure, particularly where point security and networking appliances are concerned, continue to increase. Gaining better connectivity in this age of the mobile workforce has only hastened the need for the changes that many businesses are undertaking today. IT convergence helps you drive down those costs while ensuring connectivity.
Network Convergence
One of the more critical areas to begin within making this change is network convergence. Internet VPNs and MPLS services are among the most popular forms of networking infrastructure organizations use. For mobile users, VPNs over Wi-Fi and 4G/LTE networks are preferred. What can make this challenging are various cloud-based resources that require infrastructure providers to extend the networks?
By putting all the networks into one resource for users and endpoints, such as with an SD-WAN network, you can take a valuable initial leap into network convergence. This step alone might not be extensive enough, which is why the convergence of all enterprise platforms into a single efficient and cost-effective network is in order.
Appliance Convergence
Convergence, where appliances are concerned, is another area that needs close attention. Perhaps the most obvious appliances are those related to secure web gateways and next-generation firewalls, which can be converted. If you want to decouple software functions from hardware devices, consider network functions virtualization, which has become a standard for decoupling.
Appliance convergence can help you get rid of a lot of devices, but there may still remain an abundance of hardware that is associated with your security functions and networking demands. In this situation, comprehensive appliance convergence is the only proven method for reducing cost and addressing fragmented management.
Service Convergence
Don’t mistake service convergence with migrating your physical appliances to the cloud. Even when an offsite vendor hosts your appliances, you can still have issues that won’t alleviate your service challenges. For a more all-inclusive and ever-present solution, true services convergence relies on cloud-based secure web gateways for a software-based cloud architecture solution. However, this will only cover your security stack, which is why collapsing all virtual appliances and physical appliances into a single cloud-based service are the preferred method.
Managed Convergence
Gaining more streamlined workflows through managed convergence is a critical final piece of the puzzle. When all multi-product management is taken down into a single policy and all network and security functions are managed in a single cloud service, you’re addressing the final tier of convergence that drops the cost and complexity of your entire IT infrastructure.
When all things are converged onto a single platform, policies, security events, visibility, and more become more easily accessible for those responsible for the network. At the same time, deployment is optimized for new services and solutions and overall operations drive better efficiency at a lower cost.
At Infinium Communications, we’ve lowered clients’ telecom bills, saved hundreds of hours per year on negotiations with carriers, and have always put the interests of our clients ahead of our own. Let’s talk about how we can help you converge and save money today.