NC1707

NETWORKEXPERT
If network visibility is in reality both an
advantage and risk, depending who has
access, the automation of network
provisioning is likely to be beneficial to both the
IT team and the organisation that they serve.
We don't have to look too far for examples of
human error in the operationally centred IT
role, so any effort to reduce the risk of human
error must be welcome.
O is for Orchestration. Network Orchestration
is a term that can be used to describe the
process of automatically programming the
behaviour of the network which allows services
to be provisioned quickly and at scale. With its
strong focus on automating business processes
associated with the network, it can provide an
important link between several ranges of
technologies, which in turn bridges the gap
between telecom systems, OSS systems, data
centres, and other network services.
David Fearne who is Technical Director at
Arrow ECS explains that, "Networks used to be
inflexible, complex and hard to change. To a
large degree, applications, architectures and
users would work around these limitations and
tolerate the compromise. But then the world changed and cloud came along, both inside and outside of the data centre, and this created a
bottleneck as organisations tried to maximise the potential of their investments. This legacy, archaic pre-existing network underpinned everything but
it created the need for a more flexible, on-demand network that could be treated more like code, not cement."
The need for a flexible network led to the development and adoption of software networks and security now delivered through Software Defined
Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualisation (NFV), and this is more comparable to working with applications as opposed to physical
switches, routers or firewalls.
As David explains, "When infrastructure is treated like code, it becomes easier to distribute. This means that applications can request specific
networks and security architectures that better optimise their specific performance and security needs, rather than having to fit into the generic
architecture that the rest of the network requires. This is where network orchestration comes into its own, with the ability to alter and optimise the
underlying network and security architecture to support business critical applications. Because they scale non-disruptively and use proven,
trusted and reusable patterns, an organisation can change the network's architecture on an hourly basis, allowing it to meet the changing
demands of the business."
Network orchestration systems can liberate IT from time-consuming manual monitoring and configuration activities and it can simplify the way
networks are designed, managed and deployed. David again, "There are numerous benefits and possibilities with orchestration. For example, the
increased agility allows companies to provide exactly what their customer wants, including how much memory and disk space is required and how
they want it allocated."
As organisations better understand the digital advantage, they require increasing agility from their data, cloud and mobile assets. David
concludes that, "Network Orchestration is a must have. The business case for orchestration is clear and the opportunity to gain a competitive
advantage is real."
18 NETWORKcomputing JULY/AUGUST 2017 @NCMagAndAwards
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