The Importance of Network Transformation to Fuel Business Growth
The digital world is moving as fast as ever. For companies who are struggling to keep up, network transformation isn’t just a convenient technological upgrade. It can be an outright strategic imperative. Today’s businesses rely on digital solutions to carry out their day-to-day operations, which is why demand for secure and scalable network technology has never been higher.
Why is network transformation so important? According to some statistics, the top priorities for network transformation are cybersecurity needs (82.5%) and improving bandwidth and business performance (82%). But networks are also useful because they help you adapt to unforeseen changes in the market. A transformed network can help your organization adapt to market changes and evolving customer needs—giving you the competitive edge you need to succeed.
Key Drivers Behind Successful Network Transformation Initiatives
#1: The Competitive Advantage
Imagine you were a business in the industrial revolution. Much of your business might depend on how quickly you deliver goods by train. What if your train is a bit faster and a bit stronger than the competition’s? It would affect everything your business touches including increased revenue, better reputation and more.
It’s similar with today’s network infrastructure. Business-driven networks empower you to utilize innovative digital technologies and optimize workflows in ways that may not be accessible to other businesses. Do you want to automate the less-productive tasks in your business, giving your employees the chance to focus on high-impact work instead? You can do that. Do you want to handle cybersecurity threats faster, becoming more responsive to increased challenges in the digital world? A stronger network will do that, too.
#2: Streamlining Your Hybrid Cloud Environments
Hybrid cloud environments are useful because they help your business process data—which, in turn, might mean gleaning additional insights from complicated analytics. And a hybrid cloud environment is also highly scalable, meaning your business can use this data to help itself grow without missing a beat in its digital infrastructure. However this environment needs a strong network for a backbone to handle greater demand.
#3: Increasing Data Security
Has there ever been a time when network security was more important to businesses? Although the digital revolution has brought new speed and capacity to businesses of almost every type, protecting sensitive business data and private consumer information remains a challenge.
This might sound overwhelming to a business looking at a potential network transformation. But according to a Cisco study, 95% of organizations say that the benefits of investing in their data privacy exceed the costs. The average organization reports 1.6x returns on its privacy investment.
Modern networks can enhance security with more options for data access controls. For example, identity-based access can streamline how users log in while strengthening the security of each network terminal. AI-led security has also made it possible for many network systems to continually monitor themselves for threats, watching for abnormalities and high network activity that may indicate a cybersecurity breach. And as networks incorporate machine learning, the systems themselves can evolve as cybersecurity threats become more sophisticated. In other words, your network can continually “learn” how to protect itself.
#4: Making Your Business a More Efficient Place
Productivity is central to any business’s capacity. How you scale and grow isn’t just about how many employees work at the business, but how productive those employees can be. A network transformation can help employees automate some of their most mundane tasks and workflows.
This efficiency also pays off at the hardware level. A modern network device doesn’t require as much power and carbon as it once did. You become more efficient from a productivity standpoint, sure. But network transformation also means that efficiency decreases your impact on the environment.
#5: Helping Employees to Collaborate
Speaking of productivity—enabling a faster way for employees to team up can give your business a leg up. Thanks to the ability of network transformation to handle work from anywhere transitions, you can give employees the flexibility they need to remain part of the team, even if they’re working at home.
Furthermore, legacy networks face challenges in supporting collaboration tools, including video conferencing, real-time messaging, and secure in-transit communications.
Using Strategies to Handle Network Transformation
The benefits of network transformation are clear—but what’s not clear is how to build your own strategy to undergo a network transformation. Our recommendation? A Network assessment.
Comport can conduct a network assessment to examine your current network and identify areas for improvement. We can then assist you in defining a strategy that aligns with your business goals. Ready to start the transformation that can make your business more productive, competitive, and secure? Reach out to Comport
