Add a Comment Now - We Want to Hear From You
By Steve Harriman
NetQoS VP Steve Harriman is attending the Gartner Enterprise Networking Summit this week in Las Vegas. It's the first time for the event since the industry downturn in 2001 and NetQoS is exhibiting there because we feel that the role of Networking has been elevated in importance to the point at which it warrants an executive focused event. And, Gartner events are always very educational and well-attended. It's the right place to be.
It is worth noting that one of the key themes of the first day is that Network professionals should move beyond the plumbing and be part of the solution to the application delivery problem. The idea that network professionals need to look at response time and focus on end-to-end performance is a message NetQoS has been trying to spread. Here are a few details from the first day keynote to put this into context:
Gartner Research VP David Willis gave some insight into what the IT organization will be like 5 years from now.
First, the CIO's goal will be to have IT enable business transformation. They will have four primary interests:
- Efficiency and cost management - which are the same as always.
- Ensuring assets are effectively managed - which will include assets that are far from the main office and may not even be owned by the company's IT department.
- Security - this will be advanced enough that keeping IT secure will no longer be the top concern.
- End-user satisfaction with the quality of application services delivered across the enterprise.
Second, the end-user will want to use technology without requiring extensive training. They will expect:
- Control over technology instead of technology controlling them.
- Technology to enhance their work and their life.
- To use many devices but maintain only one identity.
- A single point of control, with no configuration effort, full connectivity, and no bother.
- Security without the burden of managing it themselves. They will demand the computer to work without having to worry about things like up-to-date virus definitions and firewall settings.
Finally, the administrator's goal will be to exploit new communications software to add network services, without adding new labor. Examples include:
- Application enhancement - the network will automatically optimize application service quality. Some applications will actually be designed to exploit network services.
- Greater automation - distributed application of central policy, topology/device discovery and visualization.
- Security - in the form of 'clean' pipes and connections from the service providers. Security will largely be virtualized in the cloud.
- Resilient network architectures using a "network of networks" model.
Willis also shared some dangerous myths for Enterprise networks.
Myth: Networks are just dumb bandwidth.
Reality: Latency is the key.
Myth: My architecture is my vendor.
Reality: A vendor should advise, not dictate technology choices.
Myth: Bandwidth costs are going to go up.
Reality: Not necessarily, there are deals to be done if contracts are managed properly.
Myth: IT will have to choose between cost or resiliency.
Reality: A network of lower cost networks with redundancy and resiliency built in can make both possible.
Myth: IT must own everything.
Reality: In reality, a hybrid model is more reasonable as it provides the best of both worlds.
Myth: Centralized IT is better IT.
Reality: A distributed service model is a more reasonable approach.
Factoid: There are 2 billion cell phones and PDAs worldwide today (some developing countries have more phones than people). Gartner predicts 10 billion by 2011.
Steve Harriman is the Vice President of Marketing for NetQoS
