FINAL WORD
“ADOPTING AN UNTRIED
TECHNOLOGY TAKES GUTS. IT
CAN BE RISKY AND SOME CIOS
AND ORGANISATIONS ARE MORE
RISK-AVERSE THAN OTHERS.”
and complete visibility and control
over each application. This not
only enhances the user experience
as congestion on the network is
minimised, but also empowers the
enterprise to expand into new markets
more easily and launch new services
more quickly, with their network as the
new digital foundation for growth.
As more and more SD-WAN platforms
become available, the cost of adopting
this technology will become more
attractive for CIOs looking to future-
proof their network too. Furthermore,
thanks to its virtualised functions,
SD-WAN enables a pay-as-you-go
approach to global networking. This
means that the CIO is able to scale
capacity up and down depending on
fluctuations in market conditions and
www.intelligentcio.com
business needs. For example, a global
online retailer can add bandwidth and
circuits in the run-up to the holiday
season using SD-WAN.
All of these changes to the network
set-up can be automated with SD-WAN,
while enabling the CIO to orchestrate
the different moving parts of the
enterprise network with simplicity and
security. In contrast, traditional WANs
can be complex and costly to manage,
especially when new sites or users need
to be added, or policies need to be
changed. Often this complexity can lead
to a poor user experience too.
A decade or so ago, there was a lot of
uncertainty around the positive impact
of cloud computing and reluctance
to adopt it, but today most CIOs see
it as fundamental to their enterprise.
Apprehension and reluctance has
given way to cloud-first IT strategies
cloud-powered digital transformation
programmes, leveraging the Internet of
Things, real-time analytics and artificial
intelligence. As the break-neck speed
of technology innovation continues
and as SD-WAN moves towards the
Plateau of Productivity, even risk-
averse enterprises should recognise
the business and technology benefits
it brings and take the leap before their
competitors beat them to it. n
“SIMPLY
STICKING
TO THE WAY
THINGS HAVE
BEEN DONE FOR
YEARS WON’T
WORK IN THE
LONG TERM.”
INTELLIGENTCIO
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