Bring-Your-Own-Device Requires New Network Strategies

Transcription

1 Bring-Your-Own-Device Requires New Network Strategies September 2012 Prepared by: Zeus Kerravala

2 Bring-Your-Own-Device Requires New Network Strategies by Zeus Kerravala September 2012 º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º º Introduction ZK H1 ZK Research A Division of Kerravala Consulting Bring-your own-device (BYOD) is driving the most significant IT shift since the dawn of computing. The migration to mobile computing brings us closer to being able to deliver any content to any device no matter where the worker is. This transition is driven by three major IT trends: The evolution of devices, the migration to cloud-based applications and rapid advancements in wireless technologies. As this transition happens, there will be several significant implications IT leaders must account for, including: BYOD becomes the norm for IT The number of wireless devices will continue to explode as it reaches a 7:1 ratio by 2016 Bandwidth continues to grow exponentially, primarily over the access network Demand for mobile applications continues to grow among corporate workers Mobile computing is a network-driven paradigm that makes the company network one of the most critical resources for a successful migration to BYOD. Legacy network strategies are no longer sufficient, and IT leaders need to consider new network strategies to meet the challenge of the mobile computing era. Nowhere is that change needed more than in the wireless network. Deploying a highly predictable, resilient user experience dictates that IT leaders must consider more than just coverage when shifting to a predominantly wireless access strategy. Critical requirements of a next-generation network are: Consistent performance of real-time traffic for a wired-like performance Ability to handle a high density of wireless clients Easy migration to the next generation of wireless technology Advanced security in the network Centralized management and control Application-aware networks Lower total cost of ownership than legacy networks CIOs, IT managers and business leaders must focus on ensuring workers are enabled by a predictable, high quality, secure experience all of the time. Workers depend on the network to perform their jobs, and when it s not available the entire company suffers through lost productivity. The time for BYOD is now and as a result, the time for new network strategies is now as well. zeus@zkresearch.com Cell: Office: Influence and insight through social media

3 Bring-Your-Own-Device Requires New Network Strategies 3 Section I: BYOD Leads Us into the Mobile Computing Era IT has undergone several major transitions since the birth of computing. Mainframe and minicomputing eventually gave way to the client-server driven PC computing era. In the 1990s, PC computing was supplanted as the dominant computing model with Internet computing. Today the industry finds itself in the midst of the most significant transition ever the shift to mobile computing (see Exhibit 1, below). BYOD has been the primary driver for mobile computing, but there are several other forces at work as well. These trends are device evolution that puts a high-quality computing experience in the palm of a user s hand, cloud-based applications that allow applications to be delivered more efficiently, and wireless technology evolution allowing devices to be nearly ubiquitously connected. This puts us on the verge of being able to deliver on the Holy Grail for IT delivering any content or application to any device, no matter where the worker may be. Exhibit 1: Mobile Computing Explodes Mobile Computing 10 billion devices Internet Computing 1 billion devices PC Computing 100 million devices Minicomputers 10 million devices Mainframes 1 million devices 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Fulfilling on the any vision does have some implications for IT, which include: BYOD is no longer the exception in the workplace, it s the norm: CIOs now support BYOD. ZK Research shows that only 18 percent of companies today do not support the use of consumer technologies in the workplace. The number of wireless-only devices in the workplace has exploded: Only a few years ago the number of network-enabled devices per user was about 1:1. Today Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones and tablets have become quite common in the work place. Additionally, there s a larger mix of MacBooks, Ultrabooks, Chromebooks and other alternative mobile computing devices, pushing the ratio of devices to user to 3:1 today, growing to 7:1 by This means that, even with no employee growth, IT managers have to deal with 300 percent more devices now and plan for 700 percent growth over the next four years.

4 Bring-Your-Own-Device Requires New Network Strategies 4 Exhibit 2: CIOs Are Tolerant of Consumer Technology What is your company's attitude on the use of consumer technologies? Do not allow any consumer devices We allow it but provide no support Consumer devices allowed with limited support 18% 23% 39% No tolerance Allowed with full IT support 20% High acceptance High performance wireless is a must-have technology: Most new devices coming into the work place have no wired interface. Wireless has gone from being a nice-to-have overlay technology to the primary connection. Wireless networks can be every bit as fast and secure as wired networks, and IT leaders must build highperformance wireless networks to create a quality experience for workers used to wired speeds. Bandwidth demand is exploding: Hundreds of thousands of mobile applications allow users to access more content and information on the go. Access to cloud-based services, virtual desktop solutions, and voice and video over wireless networks are expected and assumed, causing bandwidth needs to reach unprecedented levels. Workers are portable and demand mobility: Legacy mobility strategies dictated that a worker used a corporate-issued device and recreate the in-office experience by preloading the device with all needed content and information. But true mobility means users can access any information from any device, not just corporate issued ones. Consumerization and BYOD created these challenges and IT needs to adapt to keep up. The historical end-point driven security, management and control is going away, as IT no longer has control of them. CIOs and IT leaders must develop new network strategies to support the growth of these mobile devices, applications and content that workers depend on. Section II: The Challenges with Current Network Architecture Wireless LAN technology (WLAN) or Wi-Fi has gone through several evolutionary phases since it first appeared in organizations decades ago. Firstgeneration WLAN saw the technology deployed in an ad hoc manner for users who either absolutely needed the technology or brought in end-points, creating small pockets of wireless connectivity. Second-generation WLAN saw companies standardize on a fat access point (AP) deployed in shared areas such as conference rooms, lobbies and other high-traffic locations, as an augmentation to the wired network. The current WLAN implementation allows the technology to be deployed enterprisewide as an overlay to the current wired network through use of controllers and thin apps. While the current WLAN model does provide, what appears to be companywide coverage, it does have the following limitations: The access edge is optimized for wired connectivity, with WLAN as an overlay: Exhibit 3, below, shows wireless is the preferred access technology and will be even more dominant within two years.

5 Bring-Your-Own-Device Requires New Network Strategies 5 Exhibit 3: Wireless LAN connectivity is now the norm 21% 17% 11% 13% 38% 35% 22% 10% 8% 25% 53% 26% 9% 7% 5% Two Years Ago Today Two Years from Now Percentage of workers using WLAN % 61-80% 41-60% 21-40% 0-20% No dedicated bandwidth: Current-generation WLANs are shared mediums. It operates much like an older network hub rather than a true LAN switch that has dedicated bandwidth on a perport basis. The reason hubs, despite the lower cost, disappeared from the corporate workplace is that as shared medium, they can t support a network larger than a few dozen users. Inconsistent or poor user experience: The shared nature of current WLANs does not adequately support highly dense environments or bandwidth-intensive applications such as voice or video. Some users experience great performance for a time, then without any notice performance degrades or drops off completely. Inconsistent experience makes the WLAN unreliable. High 58 TCO: The controller-ap model dictates that multiple controllers are often required for network resiliency. It can get very expensive to service specific departments or branches. The legacy technology often also requires expensive site surveys for every upgrade or expansion, and requires a great deal of costly cable runs and switch ports to support the need for more radios. Ultimately, a fourth-generation wireless LAN technology is needed (see Exhibit 4) to usher in the BYOD-led mobile computing era. User experience must be at the heart of next-generation WLAN, and technology must provide a consistent, predictable, and secure experience for any device or application. Exhibit 4: Wireless LAN Evolution

6 Bring-Your-Own-Device Requires New Network Strategies 6 Section III: Evolution of Wireless LAN BYOD, mobile computing and media-rich applications put significant strain on wireless networks. Creating a highly predictable, highly resilient experience requires an understanding of more than just coverage. IT leaders must consider the implications of a poor user experience, what that means to the business and plan accordingly. IT needs to build a wireless network that gives the same quality of experience as wired connectivity to shift to a predominantly wireless access strategy (see Exhibit 5). Other requirements of a nextgeneration WLAN are: Ability to handle real-time traffic at scale: Most wireless networks can handle small amounts of real-time traffic, such as VoIP and video. However, when heavy loads are pushed onto a wireless network, it can often cripple it, making it unusable for real-time access. Delivering highperformance wireless access is no longer negotiable; it s a must-have. Exhibit 5: The All Wireless Access Edge Any application Any device Tablet Pervasive wireless Wired edge Laptop Desktop video Wired core Smart phone Vertical device Unified features M2M Voice Social networking Lower TCO than legacy technology: The overall cost of running a wireless network needs to improve across the entire lifecycle of management, from deployment times to ability to maintain through network upgrades and expansion. This is complicated with the traditional deployment model due to the need for controllers, two-radio access points, and mountains of other equipment connecting the system together. Centralized control and manageability: As wireless becomes the primary access technology it will be imperative to have the ability make changes across the network quickly and accurately. Centralized management and control can help network managers operate and maintain the network efficiently. Can handle a highly dense environment: The WLAN needs to perform well all of the time for just a few devices, and for thousands of devices. Device-to-user ratio is growing, high density is becoming the norm and the WLAN needs to evolve to accommodate. Because WLAN is a shared medium, more radios must be efficiently deployed to support the growing number of devices and bandwidth to run rich-media applications. Easy migration to ac: Although most companies will choose n today, the solution must be able to cost-effectively scale to ac when the technology is available and when the business requires additional capacity.

7 Bring-Your-Own-Device Requires New Network Strategies 7 On-demand capacity provisioning: The era of BYOD and cloud has made on-demand IT resources the norm. Need more storage? Provision it. Another server? Spin up another VM. Wireless networks need similar capability. Integrated security: This is more than just encryption. The network also needs to enable advanced security services such as access control, guest services, on-boarding of devices, user tracking and device management capabilities. MDM has been looked at as a solution to some of these challenges, but any MDM solution that relies on client software is inherently unscalable. The evolution of the wireless access edge is a critical component of any enterprise looking to shift its workforce from portable to truly mobile. This is a mandatory requirement for fulfilling on the any vision of the mobile computing era and a key to supporting BYOD initiatives. Section IV: What to Look For in a Solution Provider The tremendous growth and reliance on WLANs will have a significant impact on the ability to create a competitive advantage based on mobile computing. The wireless network must act more like wired and provide the high quality, predictable experience users not only expect but will demand. However, many service providers will claim to provide next-generation technology, and decisionmakers must shed legacy buying criteria and not make a choice based on vendor incumbency or brand name. The following should be considered when choosing a WLAN solution provider. Breaks away from traditional controller lead model: This model was sufficient when wireless was meant for occasional access. Today, access is continuous and is needed for not only workers, but guests, partners and other individuals. The controller lead model is too expensive and too rigid for rapid, high-density deployments. Ability to add capacity or coverage easily: As more and more multimedia-capable, wirelessonly devices make their way into the workplace, IT managers will be challenged to add additional capacity or coverage quickly. The capability to add more radios is necessary for a sustainable, successful WLAN implementation. Provides a wired-like experience: Users should always have a high-quality experience no matter how many endpoints are on the network and what applications are being run. Broad solution portfolio for small environments through the largest, most dense environments: One size does not fit all. The solution provider should offer an extensive portfolio that allows organizations to start small and migrate the largest, densest environments. High availability: No matter how redundant networks are, problems occur. Ensure the solution is highly reliable and has high-availability options. Basic features should include fallback and fail open, to permit some network access in case of availability issues. Best-in-class centralized management: Network managers should not need to perform the same task multiple times to update, maintain or manage the network. A high quality, centralized management tool is necessary to reduce human error and allow IT to respond to business units immediately. Application aware: Application needs drive WLAN capacity requirements. The network should have some level of application awareness to improve user experience. While things like HD video are obvious, organizations use a variety of other applications that also drive bandwidth such as file sharing, , collaboration applications, desktop virtualization, SharePoint, ERP and other applications. The WLAN should be able to identify a basket of common applications and predict traffic requirements based on aggregate bandwidth. This helps with performance and capacity planning.

8 Bring-Your-Own-Device Requires New Network Strategies 8 Section V: Conclusion and Recommendations BYOD is rapidly ushering in the mobile computing era. While much of the industry has focused on issues such as access, MDM and security, these are not the main issues when it comes to a successful IT strategy. The current generation of mobile workers demand a high-quality wireless experience all of the time. They depend on it and when it s not delivered, productivity drops, ultimately costing the company productivity, profits and possibly brand reputation. To help IT leaders develop a nextgeneration WLAN strategy, ZK Research recommends the following: Have a laser focus on user experience: Quality of user experience is now the key element in determining the success of an IT project. What good are mobile devices, cloud applications and virtual resources if business leaders and workers can t depend on the network to provide a high quality experience? Security is a given with wireless today. The focus needs to be on performance that gives users that rock-solid experience. Embrace consumer technologies and BYOD: BYOD has the power to change the way people work. Instead of looking at consumer technologies as taboo and trying to prohibit usage, put in the proper infrastructure to enable BYOD. Otherwise, users will find their own solutions, potentially creating serious management and security challenges. Be willing to accept change and develop new strategic relationships: Each computing wave brought new technology leaders. The organizations that companies relied on in the mainframe era were not the same ones they turned to in the client-server era. Similarly, the mobile computing era will require new technology to support the changing demands of the corporate workplace. : A Division of Kerravala Consulting All rights reserved. Reproduction or redistribution in any form without the express prior permission of ZK Research is expressly prohibited. For questions, comments or further information, zeus@zkresearch.com.