Network management – a hot topic of 2024. What’s the reason? Well, as we look to the future of network management in 2024, we anticipate groundbreaking advancements that will revolutionise the way networks are monitored and maintained.
That’s why it’s the talk of the town.
From artificial intelligence-powered network analytics to blockchain technology for enhanced security, 2024 promises significant changes. Companies investing in research and development are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, aiming to stay ahead of the curve. Let’s see how and why!
What is The Need for Revolutionising Network Management ?
Here comes the main question: why do we have to revolutionise everything?
See, we all know, we are hyper reliant on digital technologies. Efficient and effective network management is essential to us.
And coming to businesses, they can’t afford any downtime. Infact, even the performance has to be maximum. But if looked into traditional network management approaches, they are quite outdated and inefficient. Hence keeping up with the pace (and managing the growing complexity of modern network infrastructures) gets quite difficult.
What do we need for this? A more sophisticated approach to it. Because cloud computing, data intensive applications are here to stay. And the legacy systems, also known as manual processes, are not equipped to handle the scale and dynamism of today’s networks. If avoided, it can impact a business negatively (in terms of both productivity and competitiveness).
What are the Current Challenges in it ?
When networks get more complex in nature, the challenge aspect doubles. Network administrators get occupied with the sheer volume of data. The increasing sophistication often leads to cyber threats and more such related issues. Some more challenges are:
- The lack of visibility. It’s the major challenge because administrators lose control over the network. Traditional tools do offer the view, but it’s quite a fragmented one. Hence it gets difficult for IT teams to identify and address issues promptly. This lack of visibility can lead to prolonged downtime. Additionally, the business can face poor performance, and increased security risks.
- The complexity of network architectures is yet another major issue. Technologies like cloud computing, edge computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT) have increased the number of devices. Followed by the number of applications, and data flows within networks. Managing these elements altogether and ensuring they work harmoniously is daunting. All of this actually requires extensive manual intervention, specialised expertise which again gets expensive.
- Last comes the threat issue. Cybercrimes are at peak these days, the criminals often come up with new attack vectors. Traditional security measures, such as firewalls and antivirus software, are often insufficient against threats. Therefore it is important for Network administrators to stay vigilant and come up with new security measures (constantly).
Here comes the main part:
What are The Latest Innovations in it ?
No progress happens without any challenges at place. Same goes to this industry as well. Even this industry has undergone a transformation with innovative solutions and technologies. In fact in 2024, and in the years ahead, several key innovations are set to take centre stage. Some major ones are:
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in it
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into network management is transformative. These technologies come with self-learning, self-healing networks. The benefit? It can autonomously detect, diagnose, and remediate issues in real time.
Businesses will be getting AI-driven solutions. This will be quick hence they can proactively identify potential problems before they escalate. There will be reduced downtime and the performance will improve.
The best part is, AI and ML can adapt and learn over time. It can continuously analyse network data to become increasingly adept at resolving complex issues. This self-learning capability is insane because static, rules-based approaches often fall short.
Automation and Orchestration in it
When networks get complex in nature, businesses must look out for streamlined management processes. Enter, Advanced automation and orchestration solutions. These solutions are transforming how networks are provisioned, configured, and maintained.
Network automation uses technologies like software-defined networking (SDN), Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and robotic process automation (RPA) to automate routine tasks. This reduces the risk of human error and frees IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives.
Next comes Network orchestration. This solution coordinates and integrates disparate components and tools, to improve both visibility and control. Coming to Centralised management platforms and APIs. These solutions allow organisations to manage their network infrastructure as a unified system. All of this helps with rapid deployment of new services and complex policies.
Network Virtualization and Software-Defined Networking
Yet another best innovation in Network management is Network virtualization and software-defined networking (SDN).
Network virtualization abstracts physical network resources into logical, software-defined entities. This helps with greater flexibility and agility.
SDN on the other hand places network control and intelligence in a centralised software-based controller. This allows automated, programmatic management of policies, routing, and traffic flows. Businesses can quickly respond to any issues in their network infrastructure.
Big Data Analytics in Network Management
It is increasing, hence even the analytics system we are using should be advanced enough. Big data analytics platforms provide unprecedented visibility into network performance. Not just performance, it can give a great view into behavior, and health, so that business can make informed decisions.
The list is not completed yet. There are many more Advanced analytics techniques available out there. Some being predictive modelling, anomaly detection, and root cause analysis. All of these help in proactively identifying and addressing network issues. Once big data is integrated, it gets better.
The challenges listed above are going to happen. Given that businesses are able to keep an eye on the advancements and make the most out of the innovations happening. We believe the future of network management in 2024 promises the best control, efficiency, and resilience. Do you agree with this?
