Modernize the Network
Merely replacing yesterday’s equipment will not prepare your network to meet the needs of tomorrow.
- Business units, functions, and processes are inextricably intertwined with less and less tolerance for downtime.
- Business demands change rapidly but the refresh horizon for infrastructure remains 5-7 years.
- The number of endpoint devices the network is expected to support is growing geometrically but historic capacity planning grew linearly.
- The business is unable to clearly define requirements, paralyzing planning.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Build for your needs. Don’t fall into the trap of assuming what works for your neighbor, your peer, or your competitor will work for you.
- Deliver on what your business knows it needs as well as what it doesn’t yet know it needs. Business leaders have business vision, but this vision won’t directly demand the required network capabilities to enable the business. This is where you come in.
- Modern technologies are hampered by vintage processes. New technologies demand new ways of accomplishing old tasks.
Impact and Result
- Use a systematic approach to document all stakeholder needs and rely on the network technical staff to translate those needs into design constraints, use cases, features, and management practices.
- Spend only on those emerging technologies that deliver features offering direct benefits to specific business goals and IT needs.
- Solidify the business case for your network modernization project by demonstrating and quantifying the hard dollar value it provides to the business.
Modernize the Network Research & Tools
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should modernize the enterprise network, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.
1. Assess the network
Identify and prioritize stakeholder and IT/networking concerns.
2. Envision the network of the future
Learn about emerging technologies and identify essential features of a modernized network solution.
3. Communicate and execute the plan
Compose a presentation for stakeholders and prepare the RFP for vendors.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
Donor Network West
Guided Implementation
10/10
$30,999
5
Corporation Of The City Of Orillia
Guided Implementation
10/10
$2,000
5
MyMatrex Group LLC
Guided Implementation
9/10
$13,000
10
Honda de Mexico
Guided Implementation
9/10
N/A
N/A
SIM Group
Workshop
8/10
$10,000
10
Thornton Tomasetti, Inc
Guided Implementation
9/10
$6,366
5
Anthony & Sylvan Pools Corp.
Guided Implementation
10/10
N/A
N/A
Onsite Workshop: Modernize the Network
Onsite workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost onsite delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Assess the Network
The Purpose
- Understand current stakeholder and IT needs pertaining to the network.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Prioritized lists of stakeholder and IT needs.
Activities
Outputs
Assess and prioritize stakeholder concerns.
Assess and prioritize design considerations.
Assess and prioritize use cases.
Assess and prioritize network infrastructure concerns.
Assess and prioritize care and control concerns.
- Current State Register
Module 2: Analyze Emerging Technologies and Identify Features
The Purpose
- Analyze emerging technologies to determine whether or not to include them in the network modernization.
- Identify and shortlist networking features that will be part of the network modernization.
Key Benefits Achieved
- An understanding of what emerging technologies are suitable for including in your network modernization.
- A prioritized list of features, aligned with business needs, that your modernized network must or should have.
Activities
Outputs
Analyze emerging technologies.
- Emerging technology assessment
Identify features to support drivers, practices, and pain points.
- Prioritize lists of modernized network features
Module 3: Plan for Future Capacity
The Purpose
- Estimate future port, bandwidth, and latency requirements for all sites on the network.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Planning for capacity ensures the network is capable of delivering until the next refresh cycle and beyond.
Activities
Outputs
Estimate port, bandwidth, and latency requirements.
Group sites according to capacity requirements.
Create standardized capacity plans for each group.
- A summary of capacity requirements for each site in the network
Module 4: Communicate and Execute the Plan
The Purpose
- Create a presentation to pitch the project to executives.
- Compose key elements of RFP.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Communication to executives, summarizing the elements of the modernization project that business decision makers will want to know, in order to gain approval.
- Communication to vendors detailing the network solution requirements so that proposed solutions are aligned to business and IT needs.
Activities
Outputs
Build the executive presentation.
- Executive Presentation
Compose the scope of work.
- Request for Proposal/Quotation
Compose technical requirements.
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 7 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
Guided Implementation #1 - Assess the network
- Call #1 - Assess stakeholder and IT/network concerns.
- Call #2 - Prioritize stakeholder and IT/network concerns.
Guided Implementation #2 - Envision your future network
- Call #1 - Learn about emerging network technology and usage trends.
- Call #2 - Build your network modernization solution.
- Call #3 - Plan for future capacity needs.
Guided Implementation #3 - Communicate and execute the plan
- Call #1 - Communicate to stakeholders.
- Call #2 - Prepare the RFP.
