Real-time data and network analytics are bringing a deeper level of intelligence to data centre connectivity and creating networks that deliver reliability, efficiency and guaranteed performance.
As applications and services become more bandwidth hungry and demanding on the network, service providers need a way to guarantee Quality of Service (QoS) and Experience (QoE). A ‘Best Effort’ approach to connectivity no longer matches the needs of cloud-based services or high performance applications. They need the support of a network that can offer consistent and reliable performance with visibility into how the network and each session is behaving end-to-end and in real time.
Intelligent networking is a critical next step for data centre connectivity as it provides the foundation for reliable service delivery as well as the development of new demanding applications and services. By capturing network data and analytics in real time, service providers can see how their network is performing and trouble shoot network issues as they happen.
The network can be proactively fine-tuned to deliver optimum performance, which is critical to delivering performance sensitive cloud-based services. Real time analytics related to session, service, application, MOS/R-factor scores and network give service providers visibility beyond just the transport layer and a complete view of the network. This is important in measuring not just QoS and but gaining an understanding of QoE, which is ultimately what matters to end users.
Beyond QoS and QoE, the data captured by intelligent networks is being used to combat network security threats and fraud. In the same way that network performance issues can be mitigated through real time monitoring, intelligent networks are increasingly being used to identify network security and fraud threats. Network behaviour can be analysed and compared to patterns consistent with security threats in real time. This intelligence is optimising performance but also using real time data to protect the network.
Intelligent networks are making network data work hard for the business and deliver actionable information. As adoption of cloud-based services and high performance applications continue to grow, demand for intelligent networks will increase. This will be accelerated by Intelligent Network as a Service (iNaaS) where intelligent networks are deployed with a flexible OPEX-driven model.
iNaaS has emerged as a way to deliver guaranteed QoS and QoE without the need to invest in multiple hardware and software systems. It is an efficient way to interconnect data centres and enable new services while only paying for what is used. iNaaS simplifies complex network infrastructure while expanding a service provider’s ability to deliver demanding services.
Intelligent networks are really changing what data centre connectivity can be and are enabling innovation in services.
