Intelligent Data Centres Issue 13 | Page 62

oday’s fast-moving digital age has created a level of uncertainty as to how a business or industry will look in a few years’ time. Digitalisation is rapidly changing the day-to-day operations of organisations; from creating new business models to changing how firms interact and the way that consumers are served. T Improving network agility is a must for IT users and organisations need to understand the core components of making agility a reality in networking. Paul Ruelas, Senior Director Product Management, GTT, explains how organisations can achieve first mover advantage and what it means for an organisation to be agile. Agility is a key factor when considering a business’ competitive edge. But how do we define it? With many businesses using the phrase interchangeably with speed, productivity, adaptability – or all three – what does it really mean? As businesses continue to focus on Digital Transformation, they become dependent on the underlying network that aids their business processes, productivity and outputs. For example, an enterprise may choose to run sprints and stand-up meetings in an attempt to drive quicker competitive advantage. However, this can be hindered if its cloud networking infrastructure isn’t able to ensure that rapid and continuous updates can be deployed to the business. Likewise, as businesses become more reliant on agile cloud-based applications, they must ensure consistent application performance to provide a seamless user experience. That all relies on a robust underlying network. Defining agile First and foremost, agility is becoming synonymous with Digital Transformation and is the latest IT industry buzzword. When it comes to understanding the difference between agile development and agile practices, the definition is easier to get to grips with. Yet, it’s important to understand that the two go hand-in-hand when thinking in the context of networking. Making first-mover advantage a reality When taking customer needs and the drive for more efficient business processes into consideration, organisations are increasingly becoming motivated by the need to digitally transform. At the same time, the explosion of application traffic to the cloud, and the need for homogenous network performance at all sites, means The fundamentals in the pursuit of agility: A backbone for success 62 Issue 13 www.intelligentdatacentres.com