Modern technology has seen many new developments over the years with concepts like hyperconvergence, virtualisation, the cloud, and disaggregation entering the scene. However, the networks all of these rely on have often struggled to keep up. Traditional closed (vendor-locked) network solutions are smothering innovation in the network sphere and creating unnecessary work for organisations that need their IT staff to focus on more important matters. Here’s how open networking is working to make networks better for everyone.
The challenges facing corporate networks
Closed vs. open: why it matters
Connecting the edge to the core to the cloud
Networks need to work hard all the time. Businesses demand uncompromising performance from their networks and the IT professionals tasked with managing them. However, even though most IT and network professionals out there are equipped with the skills and experience to manage networks, it’s often the network infrastructure that lets them down.
A 2019 survey by Sirkin Research of IT and network professionals showed that:
Most of these issues can be traced to closed network ecosystems, where the vendors supplying equipment only offer easy integration with their proprietary hardware and software. Rarely can businesses create a network catered exactly to their needs using only a single vendor’s products. Integrating hardware and software from different vendors in a closed ecosystem is time-consuming and often ridden with issues that require tedious workarounds.
The first and most important decision a business must make when looking at building a network is which vendor to partner with. This decision is vital since much of a modern organisation’s functions will be crippled without a network as the backbone of digital communication. Here are the pros and cons of the two types of ecosystems:
Closed network ecosystems:
Pros:
Cons:
Open network ecosystems:
Pros:
Cons:
Looking at these pros and cons, we can see that open network ecosystems offer more benefits and fewer drawbacks while its cons can easily be addressed by competent network professionals.
Every area of a network should adhere to the open networking ethos in order for it to be ready for both today and tomorrow’s workloads, technologies, and applications.
Tarsus Distribution has partnered with the best networking brands that share the vision of offering truly open network ecosystems to their customers. Specifically, Dell and HPE Aruba are our enterprise network partners who are ready to provide businesses with only the best open networking services and equipment.
Both vendors offer solutions for the edge, core, and cloud that are built on open standards, open APIs, open-source software, and open ecosystems. For example, OpenSwitch is an open network operating system used by these vendors to allow interoperability and compatibility between different network equipment while still promoting excellent security and easy management.
Visit our networking solutions page to get in touch and make the smart choice of open networking today.