Wan Technologies
Article | August 23, 2022
Applications and workloads have been moving to the cloud for some time. This transition has been putting a lot of pressure on IT organizations to support the trend by extending their networks to support cloud connectivity.
Cisco SD-WAN enables your hybrid connectivity to the cloud
We at Cisco have innovated on multiple fronts to help our customers with this transition by providing a deep level of integration with many of the leading cloud service providers (CSPs), including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Here, we highlight one key aspect of this innovation that allows private cloud links to be available as part of the SD-WAN network, enabling hybrid connectivity to the cloud and multicloud. Now our customers can benefit from all the rich features that our Cisco SD-WAN solution offers including application-aware routing, intent-based path selection, and security policy enforcement.
Private direct cloud connectivity to CSPs such as AWS Direct Cloud Connect, Google Cloud Interconnect, and Azure ExpressRoute are becoming popular lately, as they provide customers with optimal connectivity similar to what MPLS did in the past, but in a more agile and on-demand fashion. The only problem is those services are normally acquired separately and customers must determine how to manage them as part of a larger WAN solution including configuration, monitoring, and so on. The on-demand nature of these circuits provides customers with major savings, but also turns automation into a key requirement for management.
Enter Cisco SD-WAN release 20.6
Beginning with Cisco SD-WAN release 20.6, a Cisco SD-WAN customer may use Cloud OnRamp for Mutlicloud to automate and simplify cloud connectivity across private and public transports. What is great is this task, that used to require hours and days to setup, now only takes minutes as outlined by the following integration documents for AWS, Azure and Google Cloud respectively:
Configure AWS Direct Connect as a Transport with SD-WAN in a Click
Configure Azure Express Route as Transport with SD-WAN in a Click
Configure Google Cloud Interconnect as a Transport with Cisco SD-WAN in a Click
Once a customer implements such connectivity, they will have the ability to steer any type of traffic through it with a customizable and flexible SD-WAN policy. This solution also allows customers to eliminate some limitations imposed on them by the CSPs, such as restricting the number of prefixes advertised via BGP over private links, thus providing better scalability and control.
For customers who already use Cisco SD-WAN Cloud Interconnect at middle-mile POPs, such as with Equinix or Megaport, rolling out this solution as a test can be extremely simple given the automation discussed above. The best way to find out how easy this solution is, is to try it.
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Unified Communications, Network Security
Article | July 10, 2023
In the United States, private networks saw the sun for the first time in the early 1970s by AT&T. The networks were majorly operated over telecommunication networks. In the 1990s, with the evolution of Internet technology, a new type of network known as virtual private networks emerged. This type of network was built on public infrastructure, and the data was encrypted to protect it from eavesdroppers.
Nowadays, networks developed by businesses are called Enterprise Private Networks (EPN) when privacy is maintained via security processes and tunneling protocols such as Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol.
The objective of an EPN is to provide high-speed internet access and data sharing within an organization. Businesses can utilize Wi-Fi in their workplaces to share internet access and resources. This type of private network also employs routers, switches, fiber optics, virtual devices, and modems. Security is also a significant factor while developing an enterprise network. Different firewalls are set at access points to ensure safe data transfer between systems.
Enterprise private networks can be built in various ways, including:
Virtual private network (VPN)
Local area network (LAN)
Wide area network (WAN)
Cloud-based networks
Let’s dive deeper into EPN.
Enterprise Private Network: Reasons to Deploy It Today!
Giving its intended objective, enterprise private networks can be considered to provide a variety of conceivable benefits to an organization.
Enhancing Network Security
A company must adhere to strict procedures to safeguard its security. Networks are vulnerable to cyberattacks, and some business data contains sensitive information that might be lost or acquired by the wrong people. However, data circulation is critical to long-term business operations, which is why incorporating an enterprise private network is a wonderful way to keep security issues at bay even while allowing the organization to more easily manage its critical operations. This is a key reason why most businesses do not hesitate to use EPN, regardless of how difficult it is to set up or the upfront costs associated with it.
Economizing Measures
Keeping overheads to a minimum is critical for achieving a convincing ROI at the end of the day. Most businesses take stringent steps to ensure that they remain profitable. Cutting major expenditures is a helpful technique to do this, and the deployment of EPN is a perfect example. Because important business data can be exchanged over the network where key stakeholders can access it, the expense of physically transferring data and resources from one place to another is reduced. Moreover, a significant amount of valuable time is saved since any type of data and resources can be uploaded across the network in a matter of minutes.
Centralization
Another important element that is essential to an organization's success is business continuity. Different departments of an organization are interconnected to one another through an enterprise private network and can effortlessly share resources with one another. As earlier stated, it enables time efficiency and allows companies to keep progressing toward gradually achieving their day-to-day demands.
Enterprise Private Network: A Catalyst to 5G Digital Transformation
Businesses now depend on technology that has undergone significant transformation in recent years. Organizations are increasingly relying on feature-rich apps to operate their operations and drive innovation. Connectivity is at the heart of keeping everything operating smoothly and effectively, and 5G is expected to provide even more pace and potential. 5G is enticing because its infrastructure differs from prior generations of cellular networks. The 3G and 4G networks were designed with hardware-based network operations in mind. 5G, on the other hand, is 'cloud-native,' with network functions stored in software as a Virtual Network Function (VNF) or Cloud-native Network Function (CNF). 5G has the ability to drive digital transformation for companies and organizations by providing faster connection speeds, reduced latency, higher capacity, and better security. Organizations can obtain significant business advantages in automation, security, and safety when 5G is used in combination with a private cellular network.
The Importance of 5G on Private Networks
Speed
5G provides better bandwidth than 4G LTE networks, which is critical for data-intensive applications.
Latency
Robotics, manufacturing, remotely operated systems, and vehicle-to-vehicle communications all need low latency.
Network Slicing
The 5G network core offers network slicing, allowing network operators to virtualize network traffic, often in a cloud-based flexible environment.
Increased Connection Density
5G will ultimately support 100 times more connected devices per square kilometer, up to one million devices.
Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC)
5G Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) moves computational power closer to the network edge, reducing the time required to send data to a centralized data center.
Wi-Fi 6
While 5G has considerable benefits over Wi-Fi, the new Wi-Fi 6 version also has greater capacity, reduced latency, and faster speeds than its predecessor, Wi-Fi 5.
Industries Leveraging EPN to Enhance Their Capabilities
With the expanding digital transformation, business interest in private networks is growing. Enterprises can deploy such networks to explore a broad range of wireless use cases and provide access to areas that are not covered by a public network. These networks can also be customized to meet the needs of certain industries and businesses. With the arrival of 5G, private networks enabled by the technology are positioned to stimulate innovation and allow next-generation enterprise transformation across a wide range of industries. Industries leveraging 5G-enabled enterprise private networks are:
Healthcare
Healthcare tops the list of rapidly growing industries, requiring private networks. The unprecedented burden caused on healthcare systems worldwide by the COVID-19 pandemic has driven the need for improved connectivity and modernization of infrastructure, prompting hospitals to establish private networks.
Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry is undergoing a significant digital transformation, which is enabling various new use cases like automated manufacturing. In the industrial arena, private 5G networks play a critical role in increasing the density and efficiency of automation technologies like collaborative mobile robots, automated guided vehicles, AR predictive maintenance, and virtual reality remote devices.
Smart Facilities
By reducing the reliance on third-party wireless service providers, private 5G networks enable these establishments to build and install the infrastructure most suited to their digital transformation roadmap.
Logistics
Another high-potential use case for private 5G networks is the logistics industry. With increasing global e-commerce adoption, the continuous movement of products through all logistical checkpoints—including warehouses, ports, and distribution centers—must be monitored and linked through a diverse variety of corporate mobility devices.
Mining
Another industry with significant potential for private 5G networks is mining. Mine operators want dependable wireless connections in order to leverage digital technologies, but they are often unable to introduce wireless communications to underground locations while still meeting the essential connectivity demands of machinery and mobile employees in open-pit locations. Private networks, which have fewer access points than Wi-Fi, can overcome these difficulties by providing a stable and widespread internet connection to machines, vehicles, and workers throughout a mine. This leads to improved safety, increased production, and a lower carbon footprint.
Some of the other industries are Oil and gas, Education, Ports, Smart Cities, etc.
Rising Demand for Enterprise Private Network (EPN)
As per research analyst Leo Gergs from ABI Research, there are a couple of factors that are causing the surge in demand for private networks for enterprises. These factors are:
Rise in demand for automation and enterprise digitalization in every sector of the market, including industrial manufacturing, logistics, oil and gas, etc., because of COVID-19.
The private 5G network has arrived, bringing with it irresistible features and use cases for businesses from all industries.
Private networks depend on technology from both public carrier networks and business IT, bringing together two disciplines that had previously evolved in quite distinct directions. Industry digitalization, the convergence of telecom and IT, edge migration of cloud apps, and increased spectrum availability are all combined to set the scenario for exploding demand for private 5G. A private 5G network is an enterprise-specific network that offers communication connections to people or items belonging to a single company as well as unique services required for the enterprise's operations. Enterprises across sectors are crunching the math on private 5G, from factories to farms to hospitals to hotels.
According to ABI Research, heavy industrial verticals will increase demand for private network installations. Industrial manufacturing and energy production (including mining, oil and gas, and logistics) will contribute $32.38 billion in private network revenues by 2030, accounting for half of the $64 billion in total private network revenues. The need for private 5G networks is increasing as 5G arrives, allowing compelling business use cases and favorable legislative developments on spectrum availability for corporations. TBR projected that the market for private 5G networks would reach $7.5 billion by 2025, rising from $200 million in 2020.
Carving the Future
With every new cutting-edge technology comes a leap of faith. Businesses and industries can expedite their digital journeys by using 5G private networks to offer secure connections while gathering and managing huge amounts of business-critical data. Private 5G is not simply a new paradigm for network operators; it's also an incredible opportunity for public and private organizations to unleash efficiency, exploit real-time data, and boost revenue.
FAQ
How Does Enterprise Private Network Work?
An enterprise private network is a business computer network that allows business organizations with several offices to securely connect to each other through a network. The primary purpose of an enterprise private network is to share system resources.
How to Set Up Your Private 5G Network?
To build a private 5G network, businesses need to:
The first step is to get the spectrum right-to-use.
Acquire 5G equipment such as base stations, mini-towers, and small cells from network equipment or infrastructure providers.
Integrate equipment with edge devices like smartphones, routers, sensors, etc.
What Is the Cost of Building a 5G Network?
A modest tower and 5G cell site will cost between $30,000 and $50,000. If the wireless network is to function during a power failure, the cell site will also need commercial power and batteries.
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5G
Article | May 18, 2023
Transparency, explainability and trust are big and pressing topics in AI/ML today. Nobody wants to find themselves at the receiving end of a black AI box system that makes consequential decisions (e.g., about jobs, healthcare, citizenship, etc.), especially if those decision are unfair, biased, or just plainly not in our favor. And most organizations agree that consumer trust and confidence that AI is being used ethically and transparently are key to unlocking its true potential.
And while there are literally hundreds of documents describing and prescribing AI principles, frameworks and other good things, last year there was no practical tool that could help with implementing transparency. And this tool is AI registers…
The Cities of Helsinki and Amsterdam jointly announce the launch of their public AI registers. The two registers were developed in collaboration with Saidot.ai, a Finnish company which specializes in “bringing transparency to consumer services” and which, to the best of my knowledge, is the only vendor in this space.
The idea for the company grew from the personal frustration of its founder and CEO, Meeri Haataja, who was “seeing how important transparency of AI is for the future of each one of us, and not being able to find too many meaningful ways to act on it.”
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Network Infrastructure, Network Management
Article | July 27, 2023
Discover key network performance metrics to enhance user experience. Explore in-depth latency, throughput, jitter, packet loss, VOIP quality, and MOS score to optimize network performance analysis.
Contents
1. Importance of Network Performance Metrics for Performance Analysis
2. Critical Key Network Performance Metrics to Monitor
2.1 Latency
2.2 Throughput
2.3 Jitter
2.4 Packet Loss
2.5 VOIP Qualiy
2.6 MOS Score
3. Steps to Monitor and Measure Network Performance
4. Significance of Monitoring Metrics in Network Troubleshooting
4.1 Provides Network Visibility
4.2 Prevents Network Downtime
4.3 Observe Bandwidth Usage
5. Overcome Monitoring Challenges in Network Performance Metrics
6. Key Takeaway
1. Importance of Network Performance Metrics for Performance Analysis
Network performance involves analyzing and evaluating network statistics to determine the quality of services provided by the underlying computer network. Considering various key network metrics, it is primarily measured from the end-users’ perspective. Measuring these metrics, analyzing performance data over time, and understanding the impact on the end-user experience is essential to assess network performance.
Measuring network performance requires considering factors such as the location and timing of measurements. For instance, network performance may differ when comparing paths between cities or during periods of varying user demands throughout the day. Therefore, a comprehensive approach to monitoring network performance involves identifying these variables and identifying areas for improvement.
Network performance metrics offer valuable insights into any network infrastructure and services. These metrics provide real-time information on potential issues, outages, and errors, allowing one to allocate IT resources efficiently. Understanding end-user demands can create an adaptive network to meet future business needs. However, comprehensive monitoring requires an advanced network monitoring tool to gather, analyze, and interpret data effectively, optimizing network performance. Leveraging relevant metrics can improve network performance, help make informed decisions, enhance network reliability, and deliver a superior user experience.
2. Critical Key Network Performance Metrics to Monitor
2.1 Latency
Latency, or network delay, is a crucial performance metric in network monitoring and management. It quantifies the time required to transmit data between destinations. Factors like packet queuing and fiber optic cabling affect network latency. Consistent delays or sudden spikes in latency indicate significant network performance issues. Monitoring and minimizing latency are essential for ensuring optimal network performance. By actively tracking latency, organizations identify and address issues that may cause delays in data transmission, thereby improving overall network responsiveness and minimizing disruptions for end-users.
2.2 Throughput
Throughput metrics for network monitoring enable measurement of the data transmission rate across various network segments. Unlike bandwidth, which represents the theoretical data transfer limit, throughput reflects the successful delivery of data packets to their destination. Variations in throughput can occur across different network areas. A low throughput indicates the presence of dropped packets requiring retransmission, and highlights potential performance issues that need attention. Monitoring throughput is crucial for effective network management. By monitoring this performance metric, organizations can gain insights into the actual data transmission rate, ensuring that it aligns with expected levels.
2.3 Jitter
Jitter, a key performance metric in network monitoring, refers to the variation in delay between packets, measured as the difference between expected and actual arrival times. It results due to network congestion, routing issues, or other factors, leading to packet loss and degraded application performance. Jitter disrupts the standard sequencing of data packets and can arise due to network congestion or route changes. Monitoring jitter is crucial for identifying and addressing network stability issues and ensuring reliable data transmission. By actively monitoring this performance metric, organizations can address variations in packet delay, mitigating issues that leads to packet loss and enabling proactive troubleshooting.
2.4 Packet Loss
Packet loss, a performance management network monitoring metric, represents the number of data packets lost during transmission. It directly affects end-user services, leading to unfulfilled data requests and potential disruptions. Packet loss can arise from various factors, including software problems, network congestion, or router performance issues. Monitoring the entire process precisely to detect and address packet loss, ensures reliable data transmission and optimal network performance. Monitoring packet loss with the right network monitoring software enables timely troubleshooting and optimization of network infrastructure, ultimately enhancing overall network reliability and performance.
2.5 VOIP Quality
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) quality is a crucial network performance metric. It refers to the overall performance of a VoIP system in delivering clear and reliable voice communications over the Internet, replacing traditional phone lines. Factors influencing VoIP quality include network bandwidth, latency, packet loss, jitter, and the quality of end-user devices. Monitoring VoIP quality ensures optimal system functionality and high-quality voice communications. Key performance indicators (KPIs) such as mean opinion score (MOS), jitter, latency, packet loss, and call completion rates are utilized to assess and optimize VoIP quality.
2.6 MOS Score
Mean opinion score (MOS) is a vital performance metric in network monitoring, rating the perceived quality of a voice call on a scale of 1 to 5. It is a standardized measurement developed by the ITU, an international agency focused on enhancing communication networks. Initially designed for traditional voice calls, the MOS has been adapted to evaluate Voice over IP (VoIP) calls. The MOS score considers various factors, including the specific codec employed for the VoIP call, providing a comprehensive assessment of voice calls quality in network monitoring.
3. Steps to Monitor and Measure Network Performance
Step 1: Deploy a Software for Network Monitoring
To effectively measure network performance, deploying dedicated network monitoring software is crucial. While temporary tools like traceroutes and pings can provide insights into ongoing problems, they are insufficient for troubleshooting intermittent network issues. Relying on periodic tools for intermittent issues is reliant on chance, as it may only detect problems when they occur during tool usage. By implementing comprehensive network monitoring software, one can proactively monitor and analyze network metrics, historical data, and performance, allowing for timely detection and resolution of both ongoing and intermittent network issues.
Step 2: Distribute Monitoring Agents
For comprehensive network performance measurement, businesses must distribute monitoring agents strategically across key network locations. These specialized software agents continuously monitor network performance using synthetic traffic, simulating and assessing the end-user perspective.
By distributing Monitoring Agents, organizations can:
• Measure key network metrics, including jitter, packet loss, and throughput.
• Identify and troubleshoot intermittent network issues that are challenging to pinpoint.
• Receive alerts regarding any performance degradation, ensuring a timely response.
• Collect valuable data for in-depth troubleshooting and analysis, facilitating proactive network management and optimization.
Step 3: Measure Network Metrics
After deploying the monitoring agents, they continuously exchange synthetic User Datagram Protocol (UDP) traffic, forming a network monitoring session. During this session, the agents measure network performance by evaluating key metrics and conducting network traffic analysis. The metrics used in the analysis include specific parameters, and the results of these measurements are presented in a network response time graph, providing a visual representation of the network's performance characteristics. Monitoring and analyzing these metrics enable organizations to gain valuable insights into network performance, facilitating informed decision-making and convenient network performance troubleshooting.
4. Significance of Monitoring Metrics in Network Troubleshooting
4.1 Provide Network Visibility
Monitoring metrics plays a vital role in network troubleshooting by offering network visibility. They enable the identification of performance bottlenecks, configuration problems, and security vulnerabilities that detrimentally affects network performance. These issues can be addressed through targeted troubleshooting efforts, resulting in improved network performance and enhanced end-user experience. Organizations identify and resolve network issues by monitoring metrics, ensuring optimal network functionality and overall business productivity.
4.2 Prevent Network Downtime
Effective monitoring metrics are instrumental in preventing network downtime, a costly concern for businesses. Swift identification and resolution of network issues through proactive network performance troubleshooting help minimize downtime, ensuring uninterrupted business operations. By promptly addressing potential problems, network troubleshooting safeguards against lost productivity, revenue, and customer dissatisfaction. Maintaining a proactive approach to monitoring and resolving network issues to enhance network reliability and business continuity.
4.3 Observe Bandwidth Usage
Monitoring metrics are essential in network troubleshooting as they enable the observation of bandwidth usage. This allows organizations to detect abnormal or excessive utilization, pinpoint key performance issues and ensure optimal resource allocation. It allows for identifying critical bandwidth-hogging applications or network intrusions, helping experts take immediate action to mitigate risks, safeguard data, and protect the overall network integrity. Additionally, experts can optimize network performance and ensure a seamless user experience for organizations relying on efficient network infrastructure.
5. Overcome Monitoring Challenges in Network Performance Metrics
Enterprises seeking to ensure optimal network performance and improve overall business operations must overcome network monitoring obstacles. Effectively monitoring, tracking, and improving network performance requires a strategic combination of skilled personnel, advanced technologies, and well-defined strategies. Failing to address these requirements results in various challenges that hinder the ability to enhance network performance effectively.
The challenges that businesses often encounter include managing scalability, handling massive data volumes, achieving real-time monitoring, dealing with multi-vendor environments, addressing network security and privacy concerns, and adapting to evolving network demands. Each obstacle presents unique complexities that require tailored approaches and expert insights.
To overcome these challenges, enterprises must invest in comprehensive monitoring tools capable of handling the scalability demands of growing networks. These tools should provide real-time network visibility, robust analytics capabilities, and intelligent data filtering mechanisms to extract meaningful insights from vast network data. Establishing clear monitoring objectives aligned with business goals and defining key performance indicators (KPIs) are essential in effectively addressing network performance challenges.
6. Key Takeaway
Monitoring network performance metrics is crucial for assessing the quality of services a computer network provides from an end-user perspective. It involves continuously tracking and analyzing key metrics such as latency, throughput, jitter, packet loss, VOIP quality, and MOS score. Organizations can actively monitor and assess performance, proactively identify intermittent issues, and collect valuable data for in-depth analysis by implementing dedicated network monitoring software and strategically deploying monitoring agents across the network. In addition, it is imperative to emphasize the significance of monitoring metrics in mitigating the potential financial impact of network downtime, enhancing the utilization of available bandwidth resources, and efficiently tackling the complexities inherent in scaling operations, real-time monitoring, diverse vendor ecosystems, security concerns, and the ever-evolving requirements of modern networks.
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