The CIO’s IT Infrastructure Upgrade Checklist
“Digital transformation” is the watchword on everyone’s lips right now, from tiny startups to Fortune 500 multinationals. Technology continues to advance at a breakneck pace. Companies are embracing these latest developments in the effort to better serve their customers and beat their competition.
As part of this drive for change, many organizations are planning or undergoing IT infrastructure upgrades, particularly for their enterprise networks. According to a recent survey, 44% of networking professionals said that their top goal for 2018 was to implement upgrades across their enterprise’s networking foundations.
This focus on network updates comes at a particularly critical time for digital transformation. IT research and advisory firm Gartner estimates that by 2022, 75% of organizations will view networking as critical to the success of their digital initiatives.
Where the CIO Fits in
Chief information officers should review their current network setup on at least an annual basis to ensure that it still fits their business needs and objectives. If any part of your existing infrastructure is found lacking, you should roll the necessary enhancements into your next network upgrade.
The checklist below will help you ensure that you consider some of the most important aspects of your enterprise network infrastructure before performing an upgrade.
1. Automation
Automation is transforming the face of network operations by reducing the workload for employees who manage your corporate network and cloud environments.
Instead of sifting through mountains of data to configure your network and resolve performance issues, you can leave the heavy lifting to network automation software that uses real-time analytics to chart the best course.
As a result, you’ll slash your operating expenses and improve your uptime statistics.
2. Security
Cybersecurity is one of the most important concerns for organizations of all sizes and industries. Your network infrastructure plays a vital role in keeping your enterprise data and systems secure. In order to protect against a devastating cyber attack, your enterprise needs access to the most up-to-date hardware and software security technologies.
As new cyberthreats emerge and infrastructure, applications, and data move into the cloud. Your organization needs a cyber strategy that accommodates these developments.
3. Capacity
As your business grows and evolves, the capacity of your network should grow alongside it. To understand your current and future capacity requirements, examine your current volumes of network traffic. Make predictions about how this may change in the short and medium terms. In particular, administrators of WiFi networks who need more capacity should install more access points. They should also upgrade to the latest wireless standards, such as 802.11ac.
Related: 4 Key Benefits of VMware Cloud on AWS
4. Flexibility
Software-defined networking separates the control of the network’s architecture from its underlying physical implementation. In short, it gives you more say in its configuration.
By adopting software-defined network, you’ll cut your capital and operating expenses. Additionally, you’ll have more fine-grained control of your network security policies.
Need Help With an IT Infrastructure Upgrade?
Greyson Technologies can help your business at every step of an IT infrastructure upgrade, from IT strategy and consulting to support and managed services.
Ready to embark on your next network upgrade? Contact us today.
