The current coronavirus pandemic crisis will change network traffic patterns and should accelerate trends towards wireless, mobile and cloud-based systems. In fact, we have already seen an increase in remote access and main Internet traffic, as well as a massive reduction in local traffic, since the majority of the workforce is at home.
The reliance on home working emphasizes the requirement for reliable and secure broadband service and potentially drives the growth of 4G / 5G wireless technology as the primary or secondary link for remote workers.
The need for automated network operations has become a priority as IT organizations expand their resources to maintain uninterrupted operations of data center networks and WAN communications.
Fewer full-time employees in the office
The great experience of working from home is proving that most employees can be highly productive without physically being in the office.
The current trend shows that working from home is likely to become permanent for a certain percentage of the workforce. This scenario is considered ideal when you consider factors such as commuting time, family situation or type of work, such as for remote call centers.
Another large percentage of workers will continue to work in an office, but must choose to work from home one or two days a week to complete time-limited projects or adjust to their work-life balance.
The migration to remote working will probably triple the number of days employees work from home. It will also significantly decrease the amount of traffic or reduce the growth of traffic on the local network. This should lead IT operations and network teams to consider postponing possible upgrades to the company's internal networks.
On the other hand, we have the growth of the Internet core
Industry sources already indicate that core Internet traffic grew by approximately 25% during 2020. The resilience of Internet and telecommunications architectures, which value reliability, including capacity provisioning, has largely been able to cope with this increase in traffic.
Over time, Internet service providers will continue to increase fiber and core routing capacity to stay ahead of demands, such as the huge growth in video. This may encourage providers to evaluate new converged optical and software routing projects.
The accelerated migration of applications to the cloud
As a result of the growth in the use of the Internet and remote working, the challenges for companies consist of updating and creating new applications in the private cloud, hosted in an organization's data center, and directing more investment towards SaaS and public cloud-based applications.
In the long term, this will continue to reduce the need to upgrade internal data center networks. In the short term, service providers are rapidly upgrading transit capabilities from the Internet to the cloud to speed up remote access to cloud-based applications.
Changing requirements in network traffic patterns
The ability to support many distributed employees who need secure access to critical applications and data is now a priority for most companies and their IT departments.
In the short term, IT is updating the tools it has, such as VPNs, to deal with this increase. Over time, technology teams should evaluate new tools to integrate remote access into their comprehensive network and security architecture.
Possible options include multifunctional devices with Wi-Fi, security, software-defined WAN (SD-WAN), routing and optional 4G / 5G. These devices are being introduced by Wi-Fi, network security and SD-WAN vendors, especially for wide deployments.
As well as reducing the amount of traffic on the local network, new office workspace requirements will affect the network. For example, organizations will have more employees coming to temporary offices and changes due to the need to spread out restricted working environments.
Over time, the local network will become centered on mobile devices and Wi-Fi, with the need to be agile in terms of the number of connections and possible traffic surges with specific events that bring all employees into the office.
Plan for flexibility, agility and automation with the new network standards
The COVID-19 situation highlights the requirements for IT to provide a reliable, secure and high-performance network. It also shows that network traffic patterns can change significantly due to commercial and social conditions.
The events of 2020 are also likely to permanently alter the corporate network environment, with necessary investments in remote connectivity and a continuous shift to cloud applications. Flexibility, agility and automation should be key factors in long-term network planning.
Conversys can help your company reduce the risks and impacts of this global crisis. Contact our experts now and find out about Aruba Networks' security, network management and connectivity solutions. We are on hand to help you overcome this challenge.
About Conversys
Conversys IT Solutions is a provider of Information and Communication Technology services and solutions operating throughout Brazil.
With a highly qualified technical and commercial team and a network of partners that includes the main global technology manufacturers, Conversys IT Solutions is able to deliver customized IT and Telecom Infrastructure solutions to clients.
We invest in our employees and partners and strive for a long-lasting relationship with our clients, because we believe that this is how we gain the skills and knowledge we need to innovate and generate value for the businesses in which we operate.
About Aruba
ARUBA, a Hewlett Parkard Enterprise company, is redefining the smart grid with mobility and IoT solutions for organizations of all sizes globally.
Offering IT solutions that empower organizations to serve the Mobile Generation - mobile-savvy users who rely on cloud-based applications for all aspects of their work and personal lives - and to harness the power of insights to transform business processes. With infrastructure services offered as private or public cloud software, Aruba offers secure connectivity for mobility and IoT enabling IT professionals to create networks that keep pace with change.
