Achieving Network TCOAchieving Network TCO

The global network infrastructure market is predicted to reach $256 billion by 2028, the Wi-Fi 7 market topped $1 billion in 2024, network and cloud security investments achieved all-time highs by the end of 2023, and the edge computing market is set to grow by 1108% over the next eight years. All present urgent needs to expand network budgets. However, as network planners and managers are well aware, their annual budgets are not growing exponentially. What’s the best way to keep pace with network technology when your budget only goes so far?

First, let’s take a look at the business drivers that present a need for significant network upgrades:

Technologies like Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 will deliver network services quicker to internal users and will present a virtually boundless number of network IP addresses for new devices as they are added. Edge computing will continue to be deployed at manufacturing plants, retail stores, and remote offices. New cloud-based network management and security solutions are available that enable you to virtualize your network—with the likely result of sites using hybrid networks that will be part cloud-based and part on-premises. As these new networking technologies and tools are implemented, network staff will need to be recruited or trained to operate them.

Network managers can build compelling cases for all of these upgrades, but at some point, the CIO, CFO, CEO, or all three will ask the TCO (total cost of ownership) question: What is it costing us now just to keep things going, and if we agree to make a major investment into technology XYZ, how long will it take us to recoup our investment?

Read the Full Article on Network Computing