OnPrem or not OnPrem network infrastructure management

YEREVAN, October 2. /ARKA/. In the 2000s, almost everyone watched movies on their computers, but to do so, they had to download the movie first (let’s just assume – without violating the copyright). And the reason was simple: the Internet speed was seemingly sufficient, but not stable, and people downloaded movies to watch them without any delays. And this was the trend of the time – everything was OnPrem, so to speak. Now, all content has long migrated to the cloud, including personal photos, documents, movies. Even a phone with minimal storage is no longer a problem because you can buy more storage in the cloud.

Reasons why businesses hesitate to adopt cloud solutions

Whereas the cloud came into our personal lives unnoticed and without any opposition, businesses were in no hurry to move their applications and resources to the cloud. Personally, I see several reasons for this, but mainly:

1. Concerns about data security. Business owners were concerned about storing sensitive commercial information on media to which they do not have physical access. This can potentially lead to its compromise (disclosure and access to third parties) and violation of integrity (loss, damage).

2. Lack of investment activity. The business was slow and stuck to the old ways. Investments in IT infrastructure were made on a residual basis — why change what works, even if it runs like a car where all four wheels are different…

Cloud technologies and the change of approach to network management

Nevertheless, information technology remains a tool for solving business issues, and the recent pandemic has only strengthened its importance. Organizing remote work has forced a different attitude regarding cloud solutions, and sometimes cloud migration was the only solution. Flexibility, mobility, and speed of deployment helped businesses survive the crisis, and now play a significant role in company success.

Network equipment manufacturers have also recognized the potential of cloud solutions, especially in terms of network monitoring and management systems. Given the positive experiences of migrating services to the cloud, companies are increasingly interested in the possibilities of organizing their network infrastructure in cloud or hybrid scenarios. This became a trigger for manufacturers to further develop and emphasize the benefits of cloud solutions. As a result, cloud solutions have become an integral part of the ever-changing network infrastructure management landscape.

However, even now, not all companies are eager to move to cloud solutions due to business, policy, and security requirements, or simply because they lack experience and knowledge of cloud technologies.

Different scenarios for building network infrastructure and licensing issues

Network solution vendors try to meet the needs of all customers, so they offer different platforms that support different scenarios for building network infrastructure – on-premises, cloud, and hybrid.

Of course, each scenario has its advantages and disadvantages, whether it is cloud or on-premises infrastructure. On the one hand, it's the speed of deployment and scaling, and no need to maintain your infrastructure. On the other — many companies are concerned about the fact that part of the data will “go” through cloud resources to which the company does not have access, and that the functionality of OnPrem solutions is wider.

Crucially, when choosing one or the other scenario, it is not possible to quickly switch from one to the other. Each solution requires a separate license and additional financial investments.

This licensing issue requires you to decide right away what kind of infrastructure to develop, which imposes certain restrictions.

A unified solution for network management from Extreme Networks

Extreme Networks stands out as a vendor of a unified network platform because it offers licenses for cloud and on-premises network management systems in addition to universal switches and access points. In fact, customers can get one license that is suitable for both OnPremise and Cloud versions of the network infrastructure management system –ExtremeCloud™ IQ.

This approach allows for great flexibility in building and scaling the network. It greatly simplifies network planning, as moving from the cloud version of ExtremeCloud™ IQ to the OnPrem version of ExtremeCloud™ IQ Site Engine requires no additional investment and is a truly unique feature of Extreme Networks. Moreover, both points and switches require the same license, which simplifies the calculation of licenses and eliminates mechanical errors.

Now, the question of On-Prem or not On-Prem is no longer a pressing one, as Extreme Networks allows you to switch from one solution to another if necessary, avoiding additional costs.

Find out more about the ExtremeCloud IQ network management system for wired, wireless, and distributed networks from BAKOTECH’s website.



The material was prepared by Dmytro Kozlov, Business Development Manager, BAKOTECH.

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11:35 10/02/2023