Introduction
- As working patterns shift for many companies, there is a need for more agile, intuitive network services.
- Virtualizing network equipment adds flexibility and value.
- Virtual network services include anything that takes a business’ physical networking equipment – which often includes a hardware platform such as firewalls, switching and routing – and replicating it into software.
- This premium blog will cover the benefits and how-to’s of helping a company’s network services go virtual and the best practices for creating a comprehensive framework.
Common misconceptions about going virtual
- The perception that services and tech aren’t ready
- One of the most common is the idea that networks belonging to businesses will be managed “out there” in the cloud, and therefore they are not physically under direct control or managed directly by a company’s IT team.
Creating a framework for outsourced network management
- Simplify the terms for termination.
- Establish clear SLAs with credits defined in the contract.
- Avoid pushing too hard on price to the exclusion of all else.
- Engage vendor management early and throughout the engagement.
- Bundle transport services or negotiate a separate transport agreement?
- Plan extensively before migrating to a fully outsourced environment.
Creating a framework for outsourced network management
- Application Delivery in the Cloud
- The Dynamic Services Model
Freelance Data
Virtual networks provide the flexibility and agility required for the modern economy. The rise of freelance workers necessitates a more intuitive network.
53 Million Americans work as freelancers. That’s 34% of the US workforce. With such a large portion of the US workforce requiring the flexibility of virtual networks, it’s no wonder so many companies are transitioning to virtual networks.
The freelance market is a heavyweight. This workforce adds $715 billion annually to the economy through freelance work.
69% of freelancers claim technology has made it easier to find and complete freelance work. Shifting to a virtual network will only improve this.
https://benrmatthews.com/freelance-statistics/
Cloud Statistics
The average enterprise uses 1427 distinct cloud services.
Worldwide cloud computing grew 21% to $110 billion in 2015. This number includes infrastructure services like virtual networks.
Global spending on cloud services will double by 2019. Rising from $70 billion in 2015 to a projected $141 billion by 2019.
The market is still growing. 31% of enterprises run over 1000 VMs in the cloud compared to 22% last year. This indicated the market is still rapidly growing.
https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/11/29/10-cloud-computing-stats-that-will-blow-you-away.aspx
Cloud Challenges
The biggest challenge facing the cloud market today is lack of networking resources and expertise. 32% feel their IT departments are poorly equipped to handle the growing workloads, that number grew from 27% in 2015.
https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/11/29/10-cloud-computing-stats-that-will-blow-you-away.aspx
Over 30% of cloud services are blocked at enterprises due to risk.
Security Concerns
In 2015 there were 223 breaches publicly reported. While that doesn’t seem like a large number, it means that 159 million total records containing sensitive information were compromised.
These breaches take time to discover. It took an average of 98 days for financial companies to detect data breaches in 2015.
The cost of these cyberattacks add up to over $20 thousand dollars per day.
https://techbeacon.com/38-cybersecurity-stats-matter-most
Virtual Networks are Growing
90% of businesses use the cloud in some fashion. 82% have a hybrid cloud strategy where they keep some data in house and store other, often older, data in the cloud.
