Reimagining Networks for DevOps-Friendly Application-Centric...
Network Infrastructure

Reimagining Networks for DevOps-Friendly Application-Centric Connectivity

Network Infrastructure Magazine | Tuesday, April 18, 2023

A new strategy that is application-centric, combines NetOps with DevOps and SecOps, and offers seamless, scalable, and secure application-level connectivity across any environment is necessary to address the challenges of contemporary networking.

FREMONT, CA: In today's modern enterprise, applications and services are distributed across various environments, such as on-premises, multi-cloud, and the intelligent edge. With the hybrid work paradigm gaining ground, enterprise application users themselves are becoming mobile, and by 2025, it is expected that 75 per cent of the enterprise data will be created and processed at the edge. However, the shifting needs of applications and users are not addressable with traditional models of networking, including traditional SDN solutions. This puts increased pressure on the NetOps and CloudOps teams to maintain granular control of the network and respond to the dynamic needs of the applications.

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Distribution of applications across all client sites, the edge, and both private and public clouds are necessary for modern enterprises. The solution is a "Deploy and Connect" technique for Edge workloads. MEC, IoT, and Industry 4.0 applications are supported on Network/Metro Edge sites as well as on-premise Far Edge locations, with security, reduced complexity, and Edge application lifecycle management supplied through a "Deploy and Connect" method.

It is essential to reconsider connectivity from an application context. By integrating NetOps with DevOps and SecOps, it is effortless to enable the DevOps teams to achieve their connectivity in a self-service fashion, under the overarching policy control of the NetOps and SecOps teams. With this approach, companies can seamlessly integrate connectivity provisioning as an additional step in the CI/CD pipeline, enabling DevOps teams to imagine the network as another cloud resource. This results in a simple, scalable, seamless, and secure application-level connectivity across any environment—on-prem, edge, or cloud.

Reimagining networks in the context of applications and integrating NetOps with DevOps and SecOps has several significant benefits to the enterprise user. Firstly, it allows for seamless auto-discovery across applications and infrastructure resources, making it easier to manage and monitor the network. Secondly, it provides a single centralised management and policy control with clear mapping between business context and underlying network constructs, making it easier to ensure compliance with security policies. Furthermore, it allows the network to "follow the application" when services move across locations, reducing the risk of service disruptions. It also eliminates silos between different Ops teams, improving collaboration and reducing the time to resolve issues. Additionally,  it provides a "built-in" zero-trust security architecture owing to the ability to operate and connect at an individual microservice level, drastically reducing the attack surface. Finally, it simplifies networks owing to the clear separation of application-level connectivity and security policies at the overlay, resulting in a highly simplified underlay.

The challenges of modern networking require a new approach that is application-centric, and integrates NetOps with DevOps and SecOps, providing seamless, scalable, and secure application-level connectivity across any environment. Thereby, enterprises can improve collaboration, reduce troubleshooting times, enhance security, and simplify network management, resulting in better business outcomes. With the right tools and approach, enterprises can thrive in the era of distributed applications and intelligent edge, and stay ahead of the curve.

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