Modernize Your Networks to Deliver on the Promise of The Cloud

Cloud computing brings significant new challenges to network infrastructures. The promise of increased business speed and agility means the underlying networks must deliver greater performance than ever before, while also supporting related shifts to increased mobility and the bring-your-own device (BYOD) paradigm. Today’s networks must be high-performance, ultra-reliable, secure, scalable, agile and manageable.

The unfortunate reality is that traditional legacy networks are not up to the job when it comes to delivering the performance required for cloud computing. Traditional Ethernet networks use the spanning tree protocol (STP), which make them poorly suited for delay-sensitive applications: Cloud computing requires more efficient and resilient network designs that make full use of networking resources.

The key to delivering robust and scalable networks for the cloud is to deploy a fabric-based architecture, as epitomized by the HP FlexNetwork, which enables the construction of flat low-latency networks with fewer layers, less equipment and cabling, and greater port densities. A fabric architecture allows IT to modernize its network infrastructure at its own pace, preserving existing assets, while putting the foundation in place for networks that are more resilient, secure and scalable. A particular advantage of the HP approach is that it connects the data center, where applications are generated, to the campus and branch, where users consume them.

A modernized network infrastructure is a vital piece of the puzzle in delivering the business agility, flexibility and services-oriented approach promised by the cloud. To really drive your organization to next-generation cloud success, the network should be part of a converged infrastructure that provides a common management platform to manage and automate operations for all applications and infrastructure components. Read on to learn about what it takes to build a network to support the cloud, mobility, BYOD and all of the other challenges facing IT and network decision-makers today.