Wan

Hypothetical Network Series #4: Adapting to Remote Work

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way we work. And our next scenario illustrates the reality that many IT infrastructure managers are currently facing.

(If you're new here, check out the first post in this series first.)

A large portion of the workforce is now remote at least part of the week. When employees are in the office, they continue to utilize bandwidth-hungry applications like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet to stay connected.

As such, many enterprises are thinking of consolidating the number of sites they have—while increasing bandwidth in those that remain open—in an effort to save money.

Key Findings From Our Latest WAN Market Size Report

After tracking the WAN market size in 2020 and 2021 with our WAN Market Size Report, we began to think beyond the market as it is today.

What if we could predict what the future of the WAN market would hold?

Unraveling the Fabric Providers of Reality

This week, we're talking about NaaS.

Sure, we've covered NaaS in various contexts on TeleGeography Explains the Internet, but this episode focuses on fabric providers and where they're headed.

For that, we're so glad to have on our outspoken and super knowledgeable friend Michael Wynston, Director of Network Security Architecture & Automation at Fiserv.

Hypothetical Network Series #3: BYOB Internet WAN

So far, we’ve looked at integrating DIA and business broadband into a hybrid WAN. But there are a host of other network services that corporate networks teams have employed in their network transformations.

Our next scenario represents an Internet-first WAN with data center sites, a BYOB (bring your own backbone), if you will.

This customer may be someone with their own servers looking to build a fiber loop around the globe to connect them, even if they are at a neutral facility. 

Unpacking Network Observability

If you want to do a proper review of the state of the corporate WAN—in light of digital transformation, cloud, SD-WAN adoption, and MPLS utilization—there's no one better to talk to than Phil Gervasi, Director of Technical Evangelism at Kentik.

Lucky for me, he was this week's guest on TeleGeography Explains the Internet.

Hypothetical Network Series #2: Tiered Sites Approach

Use of the internet in corporate WANs is quickly growing. And for good reason.

Not only are internet services such as DIA and broadband cheaper than MPLS, many of the SaaS applications and cloud services that enterprises have adopted have been optimized to work over local internet connections rather than through central internet breakouts.

In addition, SD-WAN has emerged as a tool that allows WAN managers to incorporate these lower cost internet services into their network without sacrificing performance or security. But not every network site (or enterprise customer) is a good fit for an all internet WAN.

In our next two scenarios, we take an approach that we see many enterprises taking—designating network sites into tiers and assigning different network services to each tier. This allows companies to add in local internet breakouts at most offices, but keep some MPLS at higher priority sites that need service level assurances. 

Hypothetical Network Series #1: High Bandwidth MPLS

Back in 2019, we built a hypothetical network to illustrate how different network configurations might affect total cost of ownership (TCO).

Now that it's nearly 2023, we got to thinking, if Cheaper By the Dozen can get a reboot, why can't our hypothetical network series?

So here we are. The world has changed a lot in the last three years, and WAN managers are also facing a number of changes.

Data Centers and the Opportunity at the Edge

When I reached out to today's podcast guest—Jim Poole, Vice President of Business Development at Equinix—about being on the show, I asked if he'd be willing to dig into NaaS or edge data centers.

Simply Illuminating: Considering the Future of Optical Transport

Welcome back, podcast listeners. We're thrilled to dive into a new season of telecom tech talk.

First, you might have noticed that we look a little different than when we were last in your headphones. That's because we did a little old-fashioned rebranding while on summer break. What was once the WAN Manager Podcast is now TeleGeography Explains the Internet.

New U.S. Broadband Proposal Does the Electric Slide

🎶 It’s electric!
You can’t see it (it’s electric!)
You gotta feel it (it’s electric!) 🎶

Our August list of telecom reading recs starts off with new legislation designed to speed up broadband rollouts by tapping into the U.S. electric grid.

Also on the docket? An update on Ukrainian connectivity and a trio of TeleGeography experts in the news.

 

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