The landscape of wide area networks (WANs) has undergone a radical transformation. Traditional MPLS networks, once the backbone of enterprise connectivity, have given way to more agile, cloud-centric solutions like Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Security Service Edge (SSE), and Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN). This shift, driven by the need for greater flexibility, scalability, and security, brings with it new challenges and complexities. Network monitoring and, in turn, managed network services must evolve to address these challenges.
Understanding the Shift
The transition from MPLS to SASE, SSE, and SD-WAN is more than just a technological upgrade; it signifies a paradigm shift in how networks are managed and secured. By moving the data and control plane closer, businesses can now leverage internet access, wireless, and cloud services more efficiently than ever before. However, convenience comes at a cost: increased complexity.
The additional equipment, circuits, software, and configurations required to maintain these networks created layers of complexity previously unseen. Traditional network management and monitoring approaches, designed for a more static and centralized networking era, are ill-equipped to handle this new dynamic environment.
The Need for a New Approach
To effectively manage and monitor today’s WAN infrastructures, Globalgig has transitioned from a component-centric to a service-centric viewpoint. This means prioritizing the availability and performance of the entire service network over individual network components. Such a shift is not merely technical but philosophical, requiring an insightful reevaluation of how network management is perceived.
Service-centric Monitoring
A service-centric approach focuses on the overall health and performance of network services as experienced by end-users. This perspective aligns more closely with business objectives, where the primary concern is the availability and reliability of services, rather than the status of specific devices or connections.
Efficient Incident Workflows
Adopting a service-centric view also necessitates rethinking incident management workflows. In a service-oriented model, incidents are prioritized based on their impact on service availability and user experience, rather than the status of individual network components. This approach ensures that resources are allocated more efficiently, focusing efforts on resolving issues that have the most significant impact on business operations.
The Benefits of Transformation
Embracing a service-centric approach to managed network services and monitoring offers numerous benefits:
- Enhanced Operational Efficiency: By focusing on service availability – teams can identify, prioritize, and resolve issues quickly, minimizing downtime and improving the user experience.
- Increased Business Value: Ensuring network services directly support business objectives can lead to improved user satisfaction and loyalty.
- Redefined SLAs: By revising SLAs to focus on service availability instead of individual components, resolution prioritization shifts towards business goals, rather than device activation.
- Strategic Resource Allocation: A service-centric model allows for more strategic resource allocation, ensuring that efforts are focused on maintaining and improving the services that matter most to the business.
Charting the Path Forward
We have strategically approached our transition to the service-centric model. Through Orchestra Insight, our leading AI-driven network performance platform, and Orchestra Symphony, our API-centric data synchronization platform, we place your business objectives at the center of your services. From ideation to implementation, you receive a complete solution that is more than just boxes and wires. This critical pivot in perspective is helping us transform the MSP standard into a partnership unlike ever before.
As WAN technologies evolve, so must our approaches to managing and monitoring these networks. By adopting a service-centric perspective, we ensure our customer networks are not only more manageable but also aligned with the holistic goals of the business. The transformation is challenging, but the benefits it brings to operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and business value are undeniable. The future of network management is service-centric, and the time to embrace this change is now.