A network outage is always a problem, but the stakes are getting higher and connectivity is becoming even more critical. Enterprises are increasingly investing in cloud solutions and relying on the network for everything from data storage and customer service management apps to unified communications and managed services.
What’s common among these cloud solutions is the need for a network connection to run them. An enterprise can invest in the latest apps to provide a superior customer experience designed to edge out the competition, but unless the network is there to support it, the investment is worthless. As a result, more emphasis is needed on investing in the right network connectivity to support business continuity.
Any viable network solution must be able to promise nearly uninterrupted connectivity across the local area network (LAN) and the wide area network (WAN). The best solution is often software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN), which can prevent a network outage and provides better performance and scalability, reduced costs, and the ability to prioritize internet traffic.
Connectivity isn’t everything, but it’s a starting point when it comes to discussions of network strength. Networks must also be configured for high availability. In some cases, two routers can be manually configured to work in lock step, but this requires multiple IP addresses and redundancy in WAN services. This type of setup can be both complex and costly, so many organizations avoid this approach.
Another approach that could be considered is clustering, which can provide higher uptime, faster scaling, and simplified management. A high-quality SD-WAN could offer the ability to cluster without redundant IP addresses or WAN services, but some enterprises prefer to reduce the amount of hardware they have at individual branch locations.
The need for network connectivity isn’t going away — it’s only becoming more important. With SD-WAN on the scene, enterprises have more options for better network solutions and the hope of never experiencing a network outage.
Copper State Communications has been the go-to company for all things IT and telecom in Arizona for more than 35 years. We’ll help you take advantage of the cloud in a way that makes sense for your business. Contact us for an appointment and we’ll discuss the various options for your company.
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