The old IT maxim still rings true: If you can’t see it, you can’t manage it. And if you can’t see every aspect of the network, the disadvantages multiply. Poor network visibility affects critical aspects of operations, including application performance, security, compliance, and management. With infrastructure now spread across in-house data centers to cloud data centers, including the edge and beyond, end-to-end network visibility is a must.
ITOps and NetOps departments that use different control consoles can also hamper an organization making it much harder to spot problems or intrusions. Worse, identifying these issues and breaches will take time, lots of time. More time elapsed means that problems will be exacerbated and cyberattacks can spread laterally before they are identified.
But network enterprises often come with severely restricted visibility. IT environments are typically built incrementally, one deployment at a time, each one meant to solve a particular problem or support a single workload. That much legacy infrastructure isn’t easily replaced, but organizations can’t keep up with their competitors without cohesive management and visibility across network segments and devices. Meanwhile, those legacy networks need to support new technologies and solutions.
Universal visibility offers multiple benefits
Fortunately, modern, best-in-class universal visibility solutions fix the problems inherent in legacy networks. And solutions that incorporate AI to provide insights and automate rote tasks can reduce staff demands, promote consistency, and enable faster responses.
The universal network visibility solution you choose should deliver specific capabilities to ensure the desired benefits. A checklist of essential features should include:
- Single pane of glass management: Choosing a solution that provides all information about the network in one place helps simplify management. When administrators have to interpolate information from multiple management tools, they can’t keep up with changes that are occurring in real time. A single point of control allows them to manage and secure the entire network environment from the cloud. It also provides automated onboarding, workflows, and troubleshooting, as well as the ability to apply and enforce policies regardless of user location of device.
- AIOps and automation: Enabling self-corrective actions or changes was once unimaginable. With today's AIOps and automation, machines can do many of the rote and mundane tasks of network administration, reducing the load on overstretched employees and addressing the staff shortages that most IT, NetOps, and SecOps teams face. AI platforms also learn as they go, improving operations and protection in ways that are specific to the needs of the company.
- Self-aware infrastructure: Look for a solution that can automate the provisioning and optimization of infrastructure. Besides reducing demands on staff, this helps ensure that consistent policies are maintained across the network as resources are modified. Automation reduces gaps and eliminates human error, cutting downtime and outages.
- Strong as-a-service offering: Using a service can help you be sure that you pay only for what you actively use and reduce the impact on capital budgets. As-a-service may offer improved efficiency and address specific skill gaps among your own networking and IT professionals. This doesn’t have to be an “either/or” item on your checklist; if you need more flexibility, your IT environment can accommodate both traditional and as-a-service options.
- Support for nontraditional devices: IoT devices, sensors, cameras, and other nontraditional devices that connect to your network need to be visible as well. Every business has a wide range of digital systems at the edge, and you need to address both management and security. The distributed nature of these devices and the sheer number of them makes them vulnerable entry points that are increasingly targeted by cyber-attackers.
The strategic importance of universal network visibility cannot be ignored. Protecting the organization requires seeing everything that is happening on the network. Improved visibility also makes it possible to deliver the application performance users demand, support daily operations, and consistently implement new usage policies as change occurs. It’s also essential to meeting compliance, security, privacy, and other external mandates.
HPE Aruba Networking can help connect every user, device, and app securely with universal visibility and control. AI-powered network solutions extend the reach of current IT resources, who will be relieved of many mundane, time-consuming tasks. As-a-service networking solutions take operational efficiency to the next level, bridging visibility needs with consumption options. In addition, HPE works with a roster of world-class partners that can design, build, and deploy solutions that meet a wide range of needs and use cases, enabling organizations to start on the road to full network visibility.
