The Best Time to Transform Your Network Is Now

Access to information and communication via the Internet is becoming more vital and popular every day. But having data anywhere and at anytime comes at a cost.

Cloud computing, mobility, social networking and the enormous Internet of Things have made a necessity of fast access to important data. But that growing access is putting a heavy strain on a vital organ in government data centers: the network.

Since need and desire for data show no signs of slowing, agencies have no choice but to address the current state of their legacy networks.

“The infrastructure agencies have for what they’re spending, particularly on maintenance, is untenable,” Brocade U.S. Federal Team CTO Phil O’Reilly says.

O’Reilly’s words line up with federal CIO Tony Scott, who says that the government spends a full 80 percent of its IT budget on maintaining creaky, antiquated systems.

But what’s the problem with legacy, exactly? Many agencies today are attempting to send mounting sets of data through networks that are virtually imprisoned via proprietary service agreements — in a vendor-locked state, IT leaders lack the ability to take control.

But there’s hope in a new mode of networking called the New IP. First and foremost, the New IP is a set of principles: open with a purpose, automated by design, programmable, user-centric, systemic and evolutionary. It begins with infrastructure upgrades to fabric-based physical networks and evolves to software-defined, virtual services and advanced methods of control and orchestration. In an end-to-end proposition, the New IP federates network, servers, storage, applications and the edge to deliver the unified and rich experience that federal end users, citizens and warfighters demand.  

With the New IP, federal IT departments can finally call the shots. Because it utilizes open source and open standards, it frees agencies from the bonds of proprietary, legacy tech. Agencies now have the ability to build multi-vendor networks out of best-of-breed solutions. The New IP presents a real opportunity for organizations to achieve more with less, O’Reilly says. And the time to take advantage of it is now.

And agencies don't have to wait until they’ve installed even one element of the New IP to reap its benefits. Every step ahead will move networks closer to full implementation, increase innovation and decrease costs.

For example, some may find it easiest to start by introducing a software-defined fabric in their network infrastructure, O’Reilly says. While most network providers offer fabric technology, if agencies upgrade to the kind of software-defined topology that companies like Brocade offer, their decision will pay off when they incorporate other software applications further down the line.

For agencies made weary by the prospect of the long run, it may be easier to start by selecting one network function, such as a firewall, and virtualizing it.

The beauty of the New IP’s flexibility is that transformation can begin wherever and however best fits agency needs. Leaders can pick a starting point and work up from there.

“The key is to pick the one that represents the best opportunity for immediate return,” O’Reilly says. “Then, make sure you not only solve the problem but create a broader capability across the network.”

O’Reilly says government should not think of the transition to the New IP as another routine upgrade; rather, they should objectively analyze their current network infrastructure and decide where the application of new technology will give them the most “bang for their buck.”

“Think big, but start now,” he says.

Once an agency has made one step toward the New IP, they can move toward a full migration at their own pace and in their own way. But no matter the pace of the journey, the fact is that government can — and should — begin to take action.

“This is deliverable technology today,” O’Reilly says. “To me, that’s the most exciting thing of all.” 

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