< PreviousThe key to smarter managed business networks is in the cloud A smart restart The UK is working hard to kickstart its economy, as we emerge from the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Retailers and businesses of all types and sizes are grappling with the logistics and processes needed to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Inevitably, this will force reviews of how effectively their existing business networks can keep all areas of their organisation connected. With added financial and social distancing measures to consider, it’s no longer a case of simply having high-speed performance. Successful business networks will rely heavily upon smarter management in order to keep businesses operating, customers engaged and workers safe under social restrictions. For organisations spread across multiple premises, offices or large sites, keeping control of the network - as well as overheads - will continue to be a major point of consideration. In fact, this challenge will be felt prominently in some of the largest, and arguably worst hit sectors during the pandemic. As we continue to see gradual relaxations of social distancing guidelines in many parts of the UK, retailers are opening their doors to the public. Many of these businesses have pivoted to digital channels to maintain sales and consumer engagement during the lockdown period, and must now find ways to connect their online marketing streams back into physical offline purchases once more. The same can be said for many hospitality firms, who thrive on exceptional customer experiences within their venues. High-quality WiFi connectivity plays a huge role in the modern hospitality experience, in order to encourage repeat customers and recommendations. However, large venues will slowly begin to rely on seamless networks across their sites, as they prepare to reopen their spaces for social gatherings - such as weddings and conferences - as government restrictions begin to ease distancing requirements. With personal safety remaining a huge concern for the foreseeable future, this raises significant questions over how these networks can both be deployed and managed reliably Will Liu Managing Director TP-Link UK smarter managed networks www.networkseuropemagazine.com 40The key to smarter managed business networks is in the cloud and at scale. Regardless of sector or purpose, it is clear that businesses will find comfort in the technology and partners that can meet the needs of the so-called ‘new normal’. A move to the cloud In light of new challenges, today’s organisations have become rapidly more dynamic and innovative, epitomised by the overnight uptake in remote working practices and the solutions as the start of the Covid-19 lockdown. Consequently, the number of devices connected to networks are increasing. The growing and complex network involves more clients - both wired and wireless - more bandwidth- demanding applications, as well as more customised services. With this comes growing demands for manageable and secure network systems. However, with IT budgets limited, the world needs a more efficient and reliable solution that won’t eat heavily into reserves. Now more than ever, these spaces must focus on conducting the work that helps the business to grow. So how can you manage diverse and complex networks in a time- saving and economical way? Out of the many new technologies helping businesses to recover, the power of the cloud offers a huge opportunity to create the managed business networks of today and tomorrow. Modern Software Defined Networking (SDN) hosted in the cloud has the potential to not only rewrite traditional network management with centralised cloud control. If leveraged correctly, it can match the agility of modern business with dynamic and efficient network configuration, to improve performance at scale. Multiple tools with multiple interfaces inevitably add complexity, which increases the possibility of errors in configuration and management. Changing between management interfaces during network operations is time-consuming and can make even simple changes or troubleshooting tasks take much longer to complete. Configuring and managing gateways, switches, and Wi- Fi products via a single platform effectively eliminates repetitive manual device management tasks and the possibility of errors. Will Liu Managing Director TP-Link UK smarter managed networks www.networkseuropemagazine.com 41By leveraging SDN, network managers can utilise the power of the cloud to perform more critical maintenance work remotely. With one single entry point to all devices on the network, sites can be controlled and issues fixed more efficiently, reducing on-site engineer visits to ensure more ‘up time’ for users. Despite the specific needs of every sector, the principles of cloud-enabled SDN are versatile enough to suit many different environments. For large or multi-premise sites such as hotels, offices and schools, this approach brings the vital advantages of lower maintenance fees and safer practices, protecting all-important overheads. For smaller or growing businesses, the flexibility of wireless SDN will maximise efficiency with on-demand support and zero-touch remote provisioning by network managers. For retailers getting back on their feet, there are added opportunities to increase customer loyalty in what is a crucial time for repeat purchases. Frequently used by the likes of airports, hotels, coffee shops and other venues offering free WiFi hotspots to authenticate users, captive portals can gather user data, with consent, via a cloud- controlled network. By adding captive portal capabilities, networks not only get smarter, but can become an important business differentiator. Evidently, cloud controlled networks set the new standard for agile and efficient network management. Those in charge of this work can conduct more maintenance duties remotely and setups can be tailored to any type of infrastructure or set of advancing business needs. That said, we will also see a shift in who is responsible for this work, as organisations weather the storm of modern business pressures. Managing networks responsibly As networks become ingrained in the success of recovering business, the rate at which management systems are outsourced is also likely to rise with it. Remote management has been at the heart of Managed Service Providers (MSPs) maintaining customer networks for years; monitoring multiple remote sites from a central location to measure performance. Yet, with networks coming under more pressure to perform seamlessly, MSPs must also be able to make swift and intelligent decisions to resolve network issues and maintain critical connectivity for customers. In addition to fighting fires, MSPs must be able to support each customer to establish a network setup that best suits their individual needs. For smaller or growing businesses, the flexibility of wireless SDN will maximise efficiency with on-demand support and zero-touch remote provisioning by network managers. smarter managed networks www.networkseuropemagazine.com 42We know that modern SDN solutions integrate access points, switches, gateways, amongst other network components, enabling a System Integrator (SI) to efficiently create networks of any size, from small to large, with high scalability. When creating a business network there are some key factors which must be assessed based on the needs of the customer. For example, does the network need to contain both wired and wireless networks to allow the access of various devices? Should the same department be in the same network to improve network efficiency and enhance security? Is an FTP server required for departments to transmit files to each other? An SDN solution can be deployed to meet all of these requirements, combining gateways, switches, and EAPs, you can set up both the wired and wireless networks. For MSPs managing networks, remote, centralised cloud control makes it possible to monitor and control all the devices from a single interface. This smarter approach can help to deliver more convenient, efficient, and reliable network management for end customers with SDN at the heart. For better management, the network administrator can centrally monitor and control the network at any time, from anywhere. Cloud-based controllers can be used by MSPs to remotely deploy and configure networks for the customer across each device in the network automatically - a key advantage of centrally managed networks. IT staff, or whoever is setting up the network, can create a site for the network of each department or building, but then provision devices and the associated wired and wireless network(s) at the same time. Essentially, what used to take days can now be done in minutes. Once built, such cloud-controlled systems prove critical for MSPs managing business networks, in order to assist customers with secure provisioning and support growth as the economy reboots. However, with the help of new technology, this management becomes even smarter. Combining the cloud with advanced technologies, automatic deployment of network services and data distribution across gateways, switches, and access points can be achieved - reducing the complexities of traditional siloed networks and enabling zero-touch provisioning. Next-generation AI- driven technology offers powerful wireless performance by automatically adjusting the channel settings and transmission power levels of neighboring access points on the same network - alleviating considerable monitoring work for MSPs and other network managers. It can also analyse potential network problems, warn users and propose solutions. In this way, businesses no longer need to worry about Wi-Fi signal interference between multiple access points, or lapses in business continuity when the network fails. Not only does this improve reliability, but afford peace of mind that any potential issues can be identified and resolved quickly and effectively from anywhere. As businesses emerge from Covid-19, network performance and working closely with those able to manage them intelligently will be the key to effective service delivery in a time of heightened competition. Ultimately, SDN has the power to separate the winners from the losers as all industries strive for cost effective growth in an ever-changing state of normal. n Combining the cloud with advanced technologies, automatic deployment of network services and data distribution across gateways, switches, and access points can be achieved - enabling zero-touch provisioning smarter managed networks www.networkseuropemagazine.com 43In logistics, the term ‘last mile’ refers to a short distance that needs to be spanned in order to reach a final destination. In telecommunications, the ‘last-mile’ refers to the very last stretch of cable, wiring or even a wireless connection from the last point (usually a street cabinet) in an outdoor fixed network to inside a home or business. the last mile www.networkseuropemagazine.com 44Getting cabling into buildings the smart way Hermann Christen Market Development Manager R&M Bridging that last section is often costly, for a variety of reasons, such as gaining access and right of way, civil works, or architectural constraints. There are several options for getting the final link in a transmission network into a building. The standard GR-3155 (Generic Requirements for Single/Bundled Microducts and In-Living Unit Cable Pathways) lists three typical methods for placing cable into a duct: • Pull-in ropes are pre-installed by the duct manufacturer • Pulled into the duct using a mechanical or hand-drawn pull line. • Blown into the duct using a high air volume cable blowing apparatus. Universal-use, or UD-Q, cables are designed for indoor and outdoor applications. These cables can handle outdoor operating conditions whilst also meeting requirements for indoor use, for example in the area of fire safety. U-DQ (ZN) or U-DQ (BN) cables are suitable for pulling into ducts. For shorter outdoor runs we recommend armoured cables with glass roving (which provides a certain degree of rodent protection) of type U-DQ (BN) loose tube cable equipped with a Fire Retardant Low Smoke Zero Halogen (FRLSZH) outer sheath. Low Smoke Zero Halogen (LSZH) cable jacketing is made of thermoplastic or thermoset compounds that emit only a relatively small amount of smoke and no halogen at all when exposed to elevated levels of heat. The most important mechanical properties for cables used in pulled applications are tensile strength and dead weight. Polyethylene (PE)- sheathed cables have excellent surface properties and sliding properties (low frictional resistance) for all outdoor applications. PE is sufficiently resistant to all chemical influences that direct- buried cables might conceivably be exposed to. Blowing cables into pre-laid ducts is the most economical installation method for buried cables. The outer sheath should offer excellent sliding properties. Finally, the relation between inner diameter of the duct and outer diameter of the blow-in-cable is crucial to obtaining satisfying blow-in lengths. Micro cables type A - D2Y with a loose tube of 1.2 mm (4 fibres) or 2.0 mm (12 fibres) / 3.0 mm (24 fibres) are optimized for the blowing process thanks to their low weight, optimum stiffness and minimal outer diameter. Unlike with pulled cables, strain relief and resistance to high tensile forces are not necessary. As rodents shouldn’t be able to get into ducts, pulled or blown fibre cables don’t need additional rodent protection. However, this isn’t the case with ‘direct buried’ cables. Rodent- damaged cables are often found in locations where installation cables transition into buildings. This type of damage can seriously affect the reliability of indoor and outdoor fibre cables. These generally have a relatively small diameter, making them more vulnerable to chewing rodents than other telecommunication cables. As direct buried cables are laid directly into the ground, without a duct, these need to offer a high level of crush resistance and be rodent secure. Longitudinal water tightness is a prerequisite. Bearing in mind to the likelihood of elevated moisture levels, transverse pressure load and rodent infestation, we recommend corrugated steel tape armoured cables of type A - DQ (ZN) (SR) 2Y or the double sheathed version A - DQ (ZN) 2Y (SR) 2Y. Ideally, sheathing should be made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), a thermoplastic polymer produced from the monomer ethylene. Aerial cable installation is the most economical installation method for the ‘last mile’. Here you can use existing poles. However, the requirements for aerial cables are significantly higher than for buried cables, as they are continuously exposed to environmental conditions. It is recommended that air cables are encased in either UV-stable HDPE or then FRLSZH outer sheathing and are designed for a temperature range of -25 °C to +70 °C (a black surface under direct sunlight reaches +70 °C relatively easily). In aerial drop applications, being all dielectrically and self-supporting are essential. U-(ZN) H type cabling with its straightforward construction can traverse span lengths of up to 70 m. In addition to the necessary high tensile force, other influences must also be taken into account, such as ice load, vibration, UV resistance, temperature cycling behaviour, cable weight and cable diameter and sag. When laying out or expanding fibre networks, the last mile is generally the most time- consuming, costly part. Knowing which cabling categories work best in which applications points you in the right direction. Of course, there are many other variables to take into account, and often different types of cabling are used in different zones in a project. To avoid overspending and working with exaggerated specifications, it’s definitely worth consulting with an expert. n the last mile www.networkseuropemagazine.com 45Almost overnight network traffic has completely changed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. With a significant increase in video conferencing, users taking different routes to their SaaS apps from home and traffic going over firewalls and interfaces that it didn’t before, many organisations are scrambling to understand and manage dramatic changes in network traffic. The bottom line is that performance is being impacted and staff start to complain when the network runs slow or video quality is poor. While different organisations might be more prepared than others, network engineering teams are under pressure to deliver a clear view on the availability and performance of their remote network connections, which are now deemed critical to ongoing business success. Senior management is demanding reports which give almost real-time insight into the quality and user experience of their remote workers. Network managers need to rapidly discover if corporate firewalls and VPN concentrators can handle the additional network load, especially from video- based services. What's the challenge? NetOps teams need immediate answers to these questions. And what we’re seeing in the market is that VPNs are obviously front of mind. But for the Covid-19 urgency, not all organisations have a clear view of their IPSEC VPNs, SSL client VPNs, or other types of VPN connections. The problem is more than just logging into firewalls and VPN concentrators and trying to view the siloed network statistics. Network managers are trying to view the end-to- end network connectivity from remote clients, through VPN devices, across the switch links, then through the core to a business-critical destination, which could be private data centres, SaaS clouds, ERP systems, collaboration systems, etc. Furthermore, they need the ability to monitor and predict key availability and performance indicators as more and more staff work remotely. Why is there a problem today? Many organisations are feeling the impact as they’re Organisations have been rapidly growing their remote-access networks and moving much of their operations into a virtual world. Tom Caldwell, Statseeker CTO, discusses how many are responding to these new challenges in unprecedented times. Tom Caldwell CEO Statseeker remote working www.networkseuropemagazine.com 46Remote working in a time of crisis simply not used to having so many staff or students working remotely. Major corporations may have larger teams and budgets compared to smaller businesses or an educational institution and therefore be more prepared to add VPN to their network monitoring capabilities. But others are finding it more of a challenge. Many NetOps teams don’t usually have to monitor everything, everywhere, rather focusing on the key areas such as the data centre. But the new ‘normal’ means that VPNs have to be closely monitored, almost in real-time, for capacity planning purposes and answering the key questions of “do I have enough capacity?” and “do I have enough network infrastructure to keep our remote workers productive and collaborating?” Existing VPN firewalls and concentrators may not be up to the task due to throughput limitations and license restrictions. NetOps teams in the past have not been mandated to monitor jitter and delay for latency-sensitive applications like video and voice, on top of the more usual congestion and usage levels. Some companies and institutions are having to install new methods of monitoring these types of applications to obtain the required visibility, then extract the data via SNMP polling and visualise it in operational dashboards. What does best practice look like? Visibility of VPN metrics is rapidly becoming the new standard and delivering the end-to-end network visibility that network managers require today is critical. Displaying vital information such as latency and utilisation across all key VPN interfaces, including throughput graphs showing when a pipe is full, we’re finding that customers need these intelligent dashboards. They’re helping them keep up with their evolving networks, without having to manually check VPN appliances or bandwidth usage. Offering access to new performance metrics in this way helps them look into the future for VPN capacity planning, plan for growth in the new ‘normal’ and provide the deeper visibility that many have been missing. n remote working www.networkseuropemagazine.com 47Today’s Digital-First Culture digital-first culture www.networkseuropemagazine.com 48It’s no secret that the internet is critical to how we live and work and the current pandemic has certainly reinforced this message. Current statistics reveal a significant rise in recent internet consumption, not only driven by more people working from home, but the surging use of video streaming and e-gaming. With a 50% rise in downstream traffic according to Virgin Media, mobile operators across the UK have all taken measures to lift data caps. Understandably, this surge in traffic is putting unforeseen strain on the network, as service providers look to provide more bandwidth, especially during peak hours of the day when usage spikes. Networks, for the most part, are holding up but this has reinforced the need for adaptable and reliable network infrastructure that can cope with the surges in traffic and dynamic demands. Turning to the cloud during our new normal With social distancing now the norm, it is the network that makes our digital interactions possible and helps keep us connected to loved ones, friends, and colleagues. While some organisations already had remote working capabilities in place, the current situation has propelled this and forced a significant increase in the need for cloud-based collaboration and communications tools such as Zoom, Teams, Goto Meeting, and Webex. And, people are even using these applications for personal reasons, as many people connect via conferencing tools. Every industry relies on the network No industry is immune to remote working during this pandemic. Education has shifted to online courses where students now rely on a variety of online learning applications such as video, chat functions and Google Classroom. And, there is significantly more pressure on the healthcare sector as they care for patients during this challenging time, with the network essential to supporting first responders to hospitals and telemedicine to medical research, as they treat patients and work to contain the spread. The list could go on. As a result, there is now even more pressure on network providers to deliver seamless, reliable and fast connectivity. This need for an agile network is impacting all areas of infrastructure from metro, regional and submarine networks through to mobile and cloud services. Adapting the network for the future Some of the changes we've seen in the corporate infrastructure may turn out to be more permanent in nature if companies decide to retain remote working models. This means that the impact of increased bandwidth demands could continue well into the future. We will also see a longer-term impact from sectors such as the healthcare industry which have had to significantly ramp up the way they operate. For example, in recent weeks there has been an explosive growth in digital medical applications, and we have seen more investment poured into research – all of which will be increasingly reliant on the network well into the future. There is no denying that the pandemic has increased internet usage, causing many of us to leverage the network in ways we never imagined. And, while for the most part networks have stood their ground and coped with the demand, this has also shed light on the importance of deploying new tools and systems that can quickly adapt to the fastest possible re-allocation of capacity to cope with dynamic changes in bandwidth pressures. Before these current COVID-19 events, and in some cases because of the lessons learned during the Pokemon-Go phenomenon and the viral streaming of live news events such as the Notre Dame fire, many network providers were already taking proactive steps to prepare their networks for unexpected spikes and changes in traffic patterns. It’s hard to predict the future, but I think networks will be well prepared to handle more demand and surges in traffic as long as they continue to deploy scalable, adaptable technologies. If anything, this challenging time has shown how critically dependent we all have become on the network. As an industry, we must continue to work together and create new innovative technologies that allow people to work, study and socialise remotely. n Why we need networks that can adapt Jamie Jefferies VP and GM of EMEA Ciena digital-first culture www.networkseuropemagazine.com 49Next >