Fabric autonomous networks and software-managed networks will be the backbone of business.

 

IT departments have been under extra pressure in recent years as executives want digital transformation initiatives within the organization and putting them into practice. Modern business is based on data, connectivity and mobility. The data center is becoming the digital nervous system of the company – and the need for speed of data transfer and processing is taking a whole new dimension. The bandwidths required by services (from the cloud) and data continue to grow exponentially and faster than ever before.

 

The network is a key part of modern IT, on which business is literally dependent. Informatics, therefore, want not only reliable IT infrastructure but also one that will be as simple as possible, since the complexity of solutions that have multiplied in companies over the last decades reduces their productivity. They want intelligent and flexible solutions that will allow them to easily manage their IT resources – of course through the network and the cloud.

 

Business is growing or falling on the network

A modern network that provides connectivity to many devices, applications, services and data is the backbone of modern business. Network administrators and IT executives also want robust and fault-tolerant networks such as redundancy, so that connections and services are not interrupted if a single component breaks down. Modern networks that are based on fabric architecture ensures that the connection is restarted in the event of a disconnection earlier than in a second, which also ensures continued service and a good user experience. Automation built into the switching infrastructure becomes the most important factor in increased reliability as it greatly reduces or even eliminates the consequences of human error.

 

The concept of fabric represents a simpler way to design, build, manage, and troubleshoot networks.

 

Less errors, better efficiency

Automation of network functions and management is the key to success in a data center, especially one that provides services to many users. By simplifying and accelerating the fabric or fabric architecture. adding new or changing existing services is simplified and speeded up without the need for additional server hardware – data center managers save a lot of time and money. »If the custom client virtual server setup sometimes took an hour or even more time, due to the fabric topology and client automation, it is ready in seconds, maximum minutes. Adding new virtual servers or tenants to a data center makes it easy and fast with the right solutions. Automation also prevents many human errors and further increases efficiency, “explains Peter Ceferin, CTO of Smart Com.

 

Ceferin exemplifies the Extreme Networks solution. The innovative Extreme Fabric Automation solution completes the complete configuration of switches, data paths and connections in the data center within seconds, automatically recognizing the various network topologies and verifying their operation (with 100% accuracy) before performing the final automation of network tasks. The same simple company can also add or remove switches from this topology, as this quickly adapts to the equipment at its disposal.

 

Fabric-based architecture can provide up to 11 times faster services.

 

Mastering the core and edge of the network

Fabric topology of the data center is ​​designed to not only connect to different devices and services, but also to handle larger workloads, such as applications that migrate very large amounts of data to and from the data center for processing (and back). A modern data center network must also support edge computing. Although companies are setting up miniature data centers on the edge of the network to provide faster data processing and services to the devices and users connected to them, these miniature data centers are most often still received from the central data center. This means that the last one gets a lot of connections, shifts, additions and data sharing every moment. Without automation of service and application management and lower network infrastructure, data centers will quickly hit the limits. Creating and separating virtual servers, connections and traffic, and ensuring secure connectivity is in the hands of algorithms that do their jobs better than humans, because they are more accurate, faster, and have a greater overview.

 

“Fabric is an easier way to plan, build, manage, and troubleshoot networks. An Extreme Networks internal analysis found that fabric topology reduced network operating costs by two-thirds, while a separate survey of matrix network solutions found that such a network architecture averaged up to eleven times the delivery of services. Virtualization of networks and networking features ensures secure operations – just like ships can navigate safely at night. Virtualized networks are inherently secure and can be quickly set up and adapted to different use scenarios – in the enterprise, on the edge, in geographically distributed locations, “says Marko Cizelj, who leads the technological areas of the network at Smart Com.

 

It works everywhere

Fabric network architecture provides businesses with the full range of integrated network services, including level two and three virtualized services, including routing and forwarding of network traffic. As it works across all network topologies, it is a very welcome solution for companies considering a gradual network overhaul, enabling them to significantly simplify management while increasing network resilience. It reduces the complexity of the stack of different network protocols by simplifying the protocol stack and enabling the renewal of designs from the past and giving network administrators the freedom to create network services and on-demand connections faster and more efficiently.

 

Fabric Network Architecture provides businesses with the full range of integrated network services.

 

“With fabric architecture, businesses can simplify and enable greater network operation efficiency as the basis of digital transformation and move to network architecture that will enable them to be more responsive, reduce costs and increase their ability to innovate,” Cizelj added.

 

The article was published on May 4th, 2020 in the printed attachment to the Delo, Svet IKT. Miran Varga interviewed Peter Ceferin and Marko Cizelj.