Prioritizing an Integrated Wireless Infrastructure

There are broad technology changes sweeping across every industry: implementing a fleet of internet of things (IoT) devices, moving to remote work and overall digital transformation initiatives. This is causing a new level of complexity in the wireless infrastructure, adding in data centers, home offices, branch locations and mobile devices that all have unique requirements for security.

As a result, IT teams are looking for ways to address these challenges across the local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), cloud edges, and data center. They also need business continuity encompassing secure remote access that allows employees to work anywhere, any time at scale. This new reality requires an innovative approach to integrating networking and security.

5G Making it Happen

Many new technologies are possible because of 5G’s performance abilities, leading to an expansive increase in connected devices and information sharing across networks. Real-life examples include such technologies as smart cities, remote surgery, and predictive maintenance on equipment.

But enabling these technologies creates new challenges. 5G networks allow for an explosion of connected devices, but at the expense of security, expanding the attack surface and increasing complexity.

Bring On the Integration

Businesses accessing 5G benefits need an integrated approach that combines networking, security and compute for a complete solution. Today’s fluid IT environment simply doesn’t allow for silos; security can no longer operate effectively as a separate tool in a business where agility and flexibility are prioritized.

Traditionally, security tools have been focused on securing a certain space in the network or monitoring a network segment, but an integral solution will function as a single system with networking and compute. By combining the wireless infrastructure, security adapts as the networking infrastructure changes, offering both consistency and high performance across the network edges.

This approach neatly dovetails networking and security so that as business requirements change, the integrated solution adapts as a seamless part of the environment.

It’s not just physical integration; an infrastructure change must involve performance and interconnectivity, allowing the policies to constantly adapt to meet evolving needs as the business transitions to more edge computing and 5G connectivity.

Businesses are seeing digital innovation move quickly, with high-performance devices creating increased networking at the edge, plus new applications that are more immersive with virtual reality and enhanced streaming media. Interactive tools will create new levels of brand experiences that will become critical for maintaining a competitive edge.

Will Your Wireless Infrastructure Be Ready?

Your business needs a next-generation approach to network security that includes concepts like adaptability, integration, and convergence to reach optimal performance. If your business continues to prioritize performance and agility, you may want to examine the possibility of integrating your wireless infrastructure to include networking, security, and compute integration. Contact us at One Connect to begin the process.