By: George Szlosarek, CEO and Co-Founder, neutrality.one
The Middle East has seen an acceleration of digital transformation programmes creating an emphasises on the importance to move workloads into the cloud. 2020 has specifically increased a need for enterprises to adopt cloud-first strategies with speed, due to lockdowns and quarantines caused by the current pandemic.
In the region, cloud adoption has been slow and conservative mainly due to limited cloud infrastructure. However, that is now all changing with applications becoming more
centralised within cloud infrastructure, and as a result there’s a greater appetite from large public cloud providers for new networking models. Enterprises are now acknowledging that a traditional approach to WAN is no longer compatible with a cloud-first approach.
The growing demand for cloud-based services and advanced technologies can be seen in a report by MarketsandMarkets where the Middle East cloud applications market is expected to grow from $2 billion in 2019 to $4.5 billion in 2024, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.5%.
The drivers are simple. Enterprises need to deliver exceptional experiences as well as greater flexibility, scalability and cost-efficiency. In the Middle East, the legacy IT systems and processes currently in place no longer support the acceleration of cloud adoption within the region. This signifies a change where building a traditional ICT business case and waiting months or even years to execute on it, is no longer good enough. Adopting a cloud-first architecture creates both an exciting opportunity for transformation, but also presents many challenges.
Connecting a Cloud-First Ecosystem
Enterprise IT ecosystems across the Middle East are mostly underpinned by traditional multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) networks that can put restrictions on the flexibility and agility of operations. MPLS networks come with high costs which are no longer tolerable for most enterprise budgets. As organisations prioritise cloud, they are looking for a better fit for their long-term growth.
The value of a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) is largely understood among enterprises, but they need help transitioning from one network infrastructure to another. The networking skills gap in the Middle East can make it challenging for enterprises to make the move from a legacy MPLS network to a dynamic and scalable software-defined infrastructure. They need a partner that can accelerate their digital journey by helping them to deploy SD-WAN and create the groundwork for their continual transformation.
Selecting the right SD-WAN provider is crucial. It can enable enterprises in the Middle East to provide a networking model that is software driven, automated, programmable and predictive, and provides a high-quality application experience. They no longer need to be concerned about hardware-centric, manual, closed and reactive networking, which provides poor performance and sub-par customer service.
Implementing a Software-Defined Architecture
Across the Middle East, remote working, cloud-based applications and services, and flexible business models are becoming the new norm. CIOs should now be looking at their path forward and begin to build a business case for migrating to SD-WAN. Cost is a crucial driver but definitely not the only reason to make the move.
Dell Technologies and Gartner estimate that enterprises can achieve a cost reduction of up to 75% by transitioning from MPLS to SD-WAN. CIOs can reinvest their savings into other transformation projects while gaining new agility and scalability.
Enterprises also have greater visibility and control over their network. They can order, activate and manage connectivity with real time visibility into application performance via their own dedicated online portal. They can turn-up virtual services in real-time to optimise and secure applications, as well as deliver a high-quality customer experience. This can all be done without needing to rely on the MPLS provider to deliver reporting. Enterprises can now manage services using simple operating systems and templates to rapidly deploy new services with standard configurations.
In order for enterprises to put their plans into action, they should look for a partner that has the experience to deliver global networking and understands local challenges in the Middle East. It takes the complexity away and enables enterprises to benefit from new skills and experiences without needing to invest in new networking teams. Wherever the enterprise is on its digital journey, it can benefit from expert advice as well as an end-to-end managed service.
Choosing a local partner not only accelerates network transformation, it maximises the value of SD-WAN for the enterprise. The result will be a smooth transition to SD-WAN that underpins cloud-first strategies.
When an enterprise utilises SD-WAN, it is able to match changing user demand by adapting and pivoting its network. The unexpected events of 2020 have reshaped our world and permanently changed the way in which we will work, play and collaborate in the future. For an enterprise, SD-WAN enables an elastic approach to networking that supports cloud-first strategies. It allows readiness for whatever opportunities or disruptions lay ahead. The organisations that take action now will be ready for the future and have a foundation for long-term growth and transformation.
