Author
Mittal Parekh
To IT departments, the above quote might seem both familiar and humorous. And it is certainly funny, at least until it applies to you and your cloud-based network management decisions. Indeed, IT demands are becoming ever-more complex – and IT departments have never been more critical to the success of an organization. End users expect a stellar connectivity experience, while procurement departments are looking at IT to do more with less by trimming their budgets at the first available opportunity. However, IT is always tasked with significantly more than simply meeting the end-user experience.
Put simply, IT keeps the business humming. In this context, IT must remain compliant with ever-changing industry-specific regulations (think HIPAA for healthcare). As well, IT must comply with geography-specific regulations (think GDPR predominantly for Europe). Last, but certainly not least, IT must consider enterprise-specific strategic directives such as but not limited to hosting everything in-house. This sounds unnatural until you are subjected to it.
CLICK TO TWEET: CommScope’s Mittal Parekh asks: What will become of your Wi-Fi APs and switches if your cloud subscription lapses or is discontinued?
Hence, when IT deploys wired and wireless management infrastructure, they must roll out a solution that is flexible enough to remain compliant with the above-mentioned considerations – without significant increase in cost or complexity. Thus, if IT starts with an in-house wired and wireless management solution, they should be able to take it to a public cloud and conversely, if they start with a public cloud-based network management solution, they should be able to bring that solution to an in-house data center or a private cloud setup without having to re-purchase network devices (Wi-Fi APs and switches). After all, these network devices (Wi-Fi APs and switches) constitute approximately 70 percent of the total value of any sales order.
So, please ask your vendor to offer complete flexibility to move your management (and control) architecture among the public cloud, private cloud, and your own data center – should your business, industry vertical, or geo-specific needs change. As well, please don’t be afraid to ask a vendor who offers only a cloud-based network management solution this simple question: What will become of your Wi-Fi APs and switches if your cloud subscription lapses or is discontinued? If the response is “brick,” you must run away faster than Usain Bolt. You’ll be glad you did.
It is worth mentioning at this point that RUCKUS Cloud, our AI-enabled converged network management-as-a-service platform, is totally flexible. IT can just as easily migrate out of public cloud and into private or on-prem set up by deploying virtual or physical SmartZone appliances for management and control of their wired and wireless networks.
If this is music to your ears, secure a free Wi-Fi AP and start your RUCKUS Cloud trial today.
