Four Critical Reasons for Investing in Your WAN Edge

Enterprise Mobility

Article | June 15, 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.

Enterprise Mobility, Mobile Infrastructure

Article | June 16, 2023

With continuous development and wide application of new-generation information technologies, digitalization, networkization, and intelligentization have become important directions of economic and social transformation and upgrade. The development and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT) all depend on data. Thus, data has become a production factor and the basis of digital economy. Data in the digital era can be compared to petroleum in the industrial era. However, data is intangible and infinite, and there’s a HUGE amount of data being generated every minute. How to make good use of data to create value has become the key to success in the era of digital economy.

5G

Article | May 18, 2023

If you are clued into IT, then most likely, you are aware of the latest trending technology, edge computing data centers. Edge Computing ensures exceptional speed, with firm privacy and security compared to the conventional cloud methods, thus making edge data centers an imperative option for everyone. The world is undoubtedly moving faster, thereby perpetually pushing the power of next-generation innovation. Edge computing data center has emerged as a substitute to cloud computing, that keeps the data processing power at the “edge” of the network. But, it also comes with a set of challenges to the network. Edge computing devices that have processing functions are expensive and to operate the older version, additional equipment is required, which incurs extra expenditure. Despite the challenges, edge computing has turned out to be the biggest technology investment. So, let’s break it down here with comprehensive details to understand how this latest trending technology is all set to shape the future of the data center. A Brief on Edge Computing The word edge refers to the literal geographic distribution that brings computation and data storage nearer to the data sources. It improves the response duration and saves bandwidth as it runs fewer processes in the cloud and shifts those processes to local destinations such as on a user’s computer, an edge server, or an IoT for that matter. In a nutshell, edge computing is a topology that enables data to be analyzed, processed, and transferred at the edge of a network, It helps diminish the long-distance communication that takes place between a client and server. A significant advantage of using edge computing lies in its high speed and better reliability. In addition, it offers improved security by distributing processing, storage, and applications across wide-ranging devices and data centers. What’s more, it paves the way for a budget-friendly route to scalability as well as versatility, enabling organizations to expand their computing capabilities through an amalgamation of IoT devices and edge computing data centers. Edge Data Centers and Their Usage! There isn’t any specific explanation that would describe the idea of an edge data center, considering it isn’t one consistent style of the facility. It instead consists of smaller facilities that serve both edge computing and larger-scale cloud services. Since they are located closer to the population, they could easily extend the edge of the network to deliver cloud computing resources and cached content to end-users. Typically, they connect to a larger central data center or multiple computer data centers seamlessly. Latency has forever been a matter of concern for cloud data center managers. In recent times, it has emerged as a key obstacle due to big data, the Internet of Things, cloud and streaming services, and other technology trends. Moreover, in today’s time and age, end-users and devices demand access to applications and services anytime and anywhere, which leaves no room for latency. Consequently, companies across the spectrum are establishing edge data centers to ensure cost-effective and high-functionality ways to provide customers with content and performance. A great way to learn more about the data center would be to understand its usage. The following are some of the services that primarily rely on edge computing: Internet of Things Internet of Things tools essentially require low latency and reliable connections to the data center to function with high intensity. IoT devices add up a vast number of edge computing utilities; thus using edge computing makes it simple and effective. Streaming Content Streaming content is one of the most consumed form of infotainment. Users today want their video to get started with a single click that edge facilities help achieve. Drones While Drones are increasingly getting popular, their features are also massively advancing. For example, with edge computing, drones could be controlled even from far-flung locations without any hitch. Artificial Intelligence AI is one of the most thriving technologies that have taken over the world with its magnificent scalability, To make AI advantageous to the system, it should be able to access data, process it, and communicate with the end-users effectively and quickly which an edge data center allows. Virtual Reality Virtual Reality needs to get updates as quickly as possible to create an immersive world for the users. Though primarily associated with gaming, VR has also gained recognition for different paradigms such as communication, education, and several other significant uses. Edge Computing and Data Centers – The Future! A dedicated 5G Provider Edge Computing is underway, building mammoth telecommunications capabilities into data center growth trends. These facilities could change the dynamics of 5G providers for enterprise brands and emerge as the dedicated 5G providers for organizations. Support sustainable business goals Edge data centers are being looked to as a periphery that can help build more efficient solutions to enable the sector’s sustainability. Edge computing is specifically designed to keep applications and data closer to devices and their users. Therefore, there is little doubt over the impact that edge computing will have on sustainable business goals. Making way for Robot Security Guards Evolution in AI and IoT has drastically changed the human staffing needs inside the data centers and made way for Robots. Currently, Robots have been deployed in some of the hyper-scale data centers for specific tasks. Whether it is the automated inspection, faulty disc locating, or disc charging, with Robots at the helm of affairs, everything can be completed seamlessly. Many data center and robotics professionals are predicting that the next couple of years will be big leaps when it comes to placing more robotics in the data center environment. Bill Kleyman - now Switch EVP of digital solutions - wrote in 2013. How Does One Choose a Location For a Data Center? Data centers are a critical part of any business enterprise operations. Hence, decisions regarding its locations cannot be relegated to an arbitrary choice. In the past, companies used to set up their edge data centers closer to their offices to maintain the proximity. However, that is swiftly changing now as the equipment administration and monitoring can be achieved remotely. With the data center industry transforming, performance is no longer the sole consideration. To create a defining success of the data centers, companies are now looking for different sites for their data centers, primarily focusing on factors like economic, political, social, and geographical. The current scenario highlights the significance of considering Energy efficiency, business continuity plan, and resource optimization. With so much at stake, the edge data centers should be effortlessly accessible. Conclusion Edge computing and data center growth has garnered a lot of interest among the users over the past few years. It will continue to thrive for many more years to come as it meets the eye of the global tech demands and the current and future needs of the users worldwide. Frequently Asked Questions What are the benefits of edge computing? One of the top benefits of edge computing is its quick response time and low latency period across all devices. It also simplifies the bandwidth and creates less risk in corporate security. What are the drawbacks of edge computing? A significant drawback of edge computing is the need of a huge storage capacity. The security challenge is also relatively high due to the massive amount of data stored in it. Moreover, the expensive cost factor is also a disadvantage of it. { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What are the benefits of edge computing?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "One of the top benefits of edge computing is its quick response time and low latency period across all devices. It also simplifies the bandwidth and creates less risk in corporate." } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What are the drawbacks of edge computing?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A significant drawback of edge computing is the need of a huge storage capacity. The security challenge is also relatively high due to the massive amount of data stored in it. Moreover, the expensive cost factor is also a disadvantage of it." } }] }

Article | May 5, 2021

The next-generation of wireless technologies – known as 5G – is here. Not only is it expected to offer network speeds that are up to 100 times faster than 4G LTE and reduce latency to nearly zero, it will allow networks to handle 100 times the number of connected devices, revolutionizing business and consumer connectivity and enabling the “Internet of Things.” Leading policymakers – federal regulators and legislators – are making it a top priority to ensure that the wireless industry has the tools it needs to maintain U.S. leadership in commercial 5G deployments. This blog provides monthly updates on FCC actions and Congressional efforts to win the race to 5G.