Larger enterprises continue to move their applications to the cloud in a backdrop of rapidly evolving needs, fueled by innovation and AI.
In doing so, technology teams must consider multiple critical factors that are highly fluid including security, compliance, performance, energy accountability, and cost.
Connectivity is a critical dependency which is also evolving. Large enterprises must not only ensure their network meets today’s requirements, but also plan for the future by:
- Preparing for significantly larger traffic volumes
- Considering a flexible or hybrid approach to connectivity
- Ensure they have the right geographical coverage
Prepare for greater traffic volumes
In the near future enterprises must be ready for an increased flow of data:
- The number of connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices is predicted to double by 2032 *1
- Innovation across multiple sectors from financial services to healthcare is often dependent on more data-intensive workloads
- Enterprise data traffic growth is growing in particular areas such as edge computing, a trend indicated by 46% of enterprises surveyed *2
- AI will massively increase our global network traffic; OMDIA data predicts that global network traffic needs will more than triple between 2024 and 2030, with more than half of this growth driven by new AI and AI-upgraded applications *3
Consider future flexibility
Enterprise connectivity has multiple options. Going forwards, a flexible and hybrid approach to connectivity may be required:
- Connectivity within a global enterprise is rarely uniform: many enterprises are investing in private cloud, but still need access to the public cloud and may work with multiple providers
- There may be a need to support the traffic flows from data center to data center, from cloud to data center, or even from cloud to cloud
- AI has huge potential fluctuations in traffic, requiring agility and scalability, and requirements are hard to predict as AI itself evolves on an exciting but uncertain path
Ensure geographical reach
A flexible approach also extends to needing the right global coverage:
- Large global enterprises are by their nature geographically diverse and have multi-site data centers – all requiring high bandwidth and availability
- AI is extremely data hungry: data center investments that focus on AI are moving to more low cost and sustainable locations such as the Nordics and Iberia, which may require data to be sent over longer distances
- An unpredictable geo-political climate has the potential to cause disruption while data sovereignty challenges can impact where data can be moved
Why traditional connectivity doesn’t cut it
To meet the demands of AI and other pressures enterprises need to be able to shift very large data loads at speed to where they are needed. This requires:
- Increased capacity to meet peaks in data
- The potential to send data over longer distances
- A more agile approach to the operational processes around managing connectivity
- Visibility and control over the network
Currently a significant proportion of enterprise data transfer is handled by an underlay network of typically DIA and both Layer 2 or Layer 3 MPLS. Typically, enterprises will deploy an SD-WAN overlay network, on top of the underlay network(s), to optimize connectivity.
But this more traditional set-up simply cannot support the AI-powered future and will struggle to carry heavier data loads.
Today’s enterprise network is cloud centric
Enterprises that already have 100G to support their connectivity needs, are more than likely to be looking at the next step to move to 400G.
Why Wavelengths support future challenges around enterprise connectivity
Current developments in optical connectivity are at the heart of ensuring enterprises can meet the future challenges.
The current evolution of Wavelengths – is already helping enterprises meet current and future demand. By sending multiple wavelengths of light (or colors) over optical fibers, enterprises can complement the existing DIA / MPLS / SD-WAN connectivity solutions that most of them use, and:
- Support much greater workloads, evolving connectivity from 10G to 100G, 400G and beyond
- Meet the needs of your next-gen tech including AI
- Support versatility and efficiency with a more flexible approach, with access to more capacity when you need it
- Provide the resilience, latency and security you require
- Prepare you for the near future with a capacity of up to 400G available
- Take an even longer-term view, with the potential for 800G just around the corner
Many enterprises are already planning the move to 400G. Omdia research suggests that over 50% of advanced data-intensive enterprises expect to start using 400G within the next two years *4.
Where do Enterprises need Waves today?
Because every organisation has different needs, the latest service capabilities provide enterprises with options to utilise and adjust the wave services that they use.
Our Wavelength solutions are also designed to support energy accountability. We are moving to use the latest wavelength technology which uses 50% less power and space than the previous generation, and is 15% more bandwidth efficient.
Picking the right connectivity partner
To take advantage of Wavelengths, your ideal connectivity partner has:
- The level of optical connectivity you need for today, but also for tomorrow and beyond
- Sufficient geographical coverage
- Real-world experience of the multiple connectivity scenarios that enterprises face, including connecting to the public cloud
At Arelion we continue to evolve high-capacity solutions for enterprises by:
- Providing optical connectivity up to 400G at over 300 global Points of Presence (PoPs)
- Making it easier to connect to the public cloud: out of 250 PoPs in US and Europe, 70% (175) are co-located with cloud provider access points from all the main providers
- Working towards even greater optical connectivity, recently successfully completing the world’s first trial of a 6 terabits-per-second (Tb/s) wavelengths data transmission, paving the way for 800GE connectivity to be available in 2025
Check out our interactive network map here.
Asking the right questions
In sourcing the right connectivity partner, you should consider:
Do they have experience supporting hybrid clouds?
Your future network is highly unlikely to be uniform. Does a potential partner have experience in building a network “mesh” that supports multiple permutations? This could include on-premises, public cloud, private cloud, edge computing and even sovereign cloud.
Do they have expertise in handling large, critical data flows?
Data flows are getting larger and their criticality is rising. Pick a partner who has expertise in managing both.
How transparent are they?
Expect transparency from any partner. Those who are proactive in sharing performance statistics and activities with associated tools and processes will be building the foundations for ongoing, successful partnerships.
Supporting connectivity in the age of AI
Here at Arelion we’re excited about supporting the future connectivity large enterprises need to drive AI and innovation. Interested in working with us? Read about our Wavelengths Services or get in touch.
Sources:
*1 Statista.com – IoT Connected Devices Worldwide
*2 Omdia 2023 Enterprise 400G Survey – EMEA (Possibly The 400G Opportunity in EMEA, September 2023)
*3 Omdia
*4 Omdia 2023 Enterprise 400G Survey – EMEA (Possibly The 400G Opportunity in EMEA, September 2023)