Massimo from Priority Networks Inc weighs in on technologies that automate and modernize network tasks and infrastructure. (Source: Network World, Jon Gold, February 7, 2022, https://www.networkworld.com/article/3648413/do-new-technologies-make-it-easier.html).

With the adoption of new technologies like SD-WAN, intent-based networking, and software-defined networking, the manual configuration of every IT system has been replaced by automation. So this major transformation enabled by modern innovations like AI assistance and templates is supposed to do the following:

• provide easy-to-implement IT solutions
• modernize IT support services 
• speed up business processes
• streamline software infrastructure
• reduce the workload of IT workers

But according to Massimo from Priority Networks Inc, the real boom of new technology remains a topic of much discussion. While in some cases the introduction of modern technology has reduced total spending and made IT expenses more manageable, for others, the costs have gone up significantly. Additionally, the wide distribution of service areas also complicates the IT environment.

Do new technologies make IT easier?

Outsourcing can facilitate new technology adoption

The IT success story of the fashion store Vera Wang Group is an excellent example of how outsourcing and networking automation has helped the company achieve greater heights. A major architect of this success is the group’s CIO, Stewart Ebrat. He is an IT veteran who had previously lent his expertise to companies like IBM, the New York Stock Exchange, etc. Under his leadership, the Vera Wang Group has marked a significant shift from traditional technology to one that outsourced every part of the IT infrastructure to vendors.

A case in point is the way Vera Wang Group has entrusted Aruba Networks with the following task of handling the networking to connect their different stores. Aruba Networks also helps connect these stores to an Azure back-end, apart from looking after the fashion store’s everyday IT operations.

This intelligent move has not only reduced the dependence on IT staffing but has also lowered the total IT costs, which has saved the company of several dollars. So now, as the CIO plans to shift the company’s IT to the cloud, the store workers can directly reach out to the vendors for IT support services.

According to Massimo from Priority Networks Inc, the above IT solutions are quite revolutionary. They will help reorganize the IT infrastructure and make it more stable and effective.

Distributed services, a roadblock to reducing IT workload

For some companies, reducing the IT workload remains a problem. For example, according to Tom Hull, the CIO of Kaleida Healthcare, his company’s IT services are too scattered. This makes the whole process highly complex, with some sites having their own voice systems. These have to be integrated with their core networking, which is challenging. Nevertheless, Hull acknowledges the several advantages of modern technology. But he believes getting people to adapt to the new technology is labor-intensive and skill-centric. He further adds that designing a flexible SDN layer is the job of highly-skilled visualization engineers.

With the upgrades in IT, cybersecurity is now a matter of enormous concern, emphasizes Hull. To manage the humungous operations of the company, he has been expanding his IT workforce, unlike Stewart Ebrat. He admits to enjoying the upsides of the new technology. Still, he stresses how the needs of different businesses vary from one another. The number of workers being added primarily depends on the business needs.

According to Massimo from Priority Networks Inc, it would not be correct to consider staff reduction as one of the universal merits of the new technology.

Arun Chandrashekharan, the vice-president and analyst at Gartner Research, believes the rate at which a particular technology matures determines the frequency of its adoption to the business area reliant on those IT solutions. While the tooling for cloud computing, provisioning compute, and storage are upgrading faster, he adds that networking is comparatively on a slower track. According to another expert, Mark Leary, the research director of IDC, many IT solutions increase their work instead of simplifying work. So network automation needs to be done well to avoid disasters.

So from the views mentioned above shared by the experts, Massimo from Priority Networks Inc concludes that it is a tricky situation. While the introduction of modern technology is essential, analyzing your company’s business needs is of paramount importance. Once you know which technology to implement, you will understand the requirements and plan your IT services accordingly.