Scribd
Upload
74 views

Enterprise Networking Explained Types Concepts Trends

BILLBRAIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Uploaded by

Nathaniel Etuk
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
74 views

Enterprise Networking Explained Types Concepts Trends

BILLBRAIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Uploaded by

Nathaniel Etuk
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

ENTERPRISE NETWORKING EXPLAINED: TYPES, CONCEPTS &

TRENDS

Think of the Enterprise Network as the internet, except that it’s local to your organization.
An enterprise network helps employees and machines communicate, share files, access systems,
and analyze the performance of an IT environment that drives business operations. Enterprise
networks are configured to:

Connect a limited number of authorized systems, apps, and individuals.


Enable a secure and efficient communication channel to perform specific business operations.

In this article, we will discuss the enterprise network, how it helps the business, and industry-proven
best practices to run secure, high performance, and highly dependable enterprise networking
systems.

What is the enterprise network?


The term ‘enterprise network’ refers to the physical, virtual, or logical connectivity infrastructure that
enables systems and apps to:

Communicate
Share information
Run services and programs
Analyze system performance

The enterprise network effectively comprises the infrastructure, hardware and software systems,
and the communication protocols used to deliver end-to-end services. The network (or its subset)
may be architected, designed, deployed, optimized, and configured to perform a unique set of
business and technical objectives.
To establish an enterprise network at geographically disparate locations, use Virtual Private
Networks (VPNs) to connect these regions.
(Understand IT infrastructure and cloud infrastructure.)

Types of enterprise networks


Some of the common types of enterprise networks include:

Local Area Networks


Wide Area Networks
Cloud networks

Local Area Network (LAN)


A LAN is a computer network that interconnects systems within a small building or room. Typically
used for personal, non-commercial use cases, LANs can also be used as small-scale prototyping or
testbed networks.
You can also establish LANs logically and virtually within a larger network. For example, each
department within the enterprise network can operate a small LAN where multiple computers are
connected to the same switch but decoupled from other departmental LANs.

Wide Area Network (WAN)


Think of a LAN that spans across buildings and disparate geographic locations—even globally.
WAN connectivity differs from LANs in terms of the protocols and components across the layers of
the OSI model used to transmit data. While LAN technologies are used to transmit data at higher
rates within close proximity, WANs are set up for communication that is:

Long-distance
Energy efficient
Secure
Dependable

WANs can be deployed as a private or public network and are usually set up by the internet service
providers (ISPs).
You can also have a software-defined WAN, or SD-WAN. This is a virtual WAN architecture
controlled by software technologies that create an abstraction of the virtualized WAN from the
underlying infrastructure components. This technology enables secure WAN operations while
decoupling the performance from the underlying components.
An SD-WAN offers more flexible and dependable connectivity services that can be controlled at the
application level, without sacrificing security and quality of service (QoS).
(Learn more about software-defined networking.)
Cloud networks
Most enterprise IT services are delivered from data centers and cloud networks. The IT environment
may be a hybrid mix of on-premise servers and off-site cloud networks. The cloud stack may consist
of multiple cloud computing models—private, public, and hybrid cloud.
Additionally, you likely employ multi-cloud services to deliver various application components and
services as an optimal tradeoff between cost, performance, and security offered by different cloud
models.
The infrastructure components and software technologies enable the connectivity between data
center hardware, applications. and services running across these various IT environments. The cloud
resources and the services running on the hardware are accessed and controlled over the internet,
usually through private and secure network channels (unless used for public-facing applications).
Conceptually, cloud networks can be seen as a WAN (often an SD-WAN) that may comprise
multiple subset of networks shared or distributed privately among customers of cloud computing
services.
Enterprise networking trends & concepts
Already embarked on your enterprise networking strategy? It can be interesting to follow some of
the latest trends in the enterprise networking domain.
Today’s technology advancements and improvements are generally centered around service
dependability, security, and readiness to integrate new technology standards and systems.
Some new innovations and trends include:

Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). This network architecture introduces an additional
security layer for edge network technologies.
5G connectivity. With significant investments and adoption recently, the new 5G networking
standard is set to reach maturity in coming years. Organizations taking advantage of the
technology are early adopters and disruptors, especially since 5G connectivity offers
significantly better user experience with high data transmission rates.
Wi-Fi 6 and 6E. These new connectivity standards are around 30% faster than Wi-Fi 5. They’re
especially useful for simple in-house LAN implementations.
Cloud-managed popularity. According to a recent IDC publication, cloud-managed WAN, SD-
WAN, and Unified Communications adoption continues to rise.
Managed service options. New service delivery models, like Networking as a Service (NaaS),
enable organizations to leverage advanced enterprise networking capabilities on a
subscription cost basis.
AI and machine learning. AI- and ML-enabled enterprise networking will greatly enhance
visibility and control into enterprise networks and the IT infrastructure that generates a vast
deluge of information at every node and network endpoint.

(See how ML supports data center network security.)

Related reading
BMC IT Operations Blog
The Network Operations Center (NOC): How NOCs Work
IT Infrastructure Management Explained
Building an IT Network for a Remote Facility
Network Engineer vs Network Administrator: Roles, Responsibilities & Job Descriptions
The Empowered Edge: An Introduction

You might also like