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Data Centers


OUTDATED DATA CENTER RISKS: HOW ORGANIZATIONAL MANDATES HELP

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Organizations should create mandates requiring upgrades to their outdated data
centers at a regular cadence to avoid risks.
Mansour Karam
August 31, 2021


EDGE-BIT-CLOUD-J5-KQU_FXYO-UNSPLASH.JPG

(Source: Unsplash)

Organizations often run on outdated data centers because they live in fear that
an upgrade will cause an outage. While there’s no denying a network outage can
be devastating for business, that hesitancy should not stand in the way of
upgrading the data center and improving organizational efficiency.

The answer: If organizations get into the routine of regularly updating their
data center technology, they can transform their networks to ensure security and
efficiency, as well as enable digital transformation.

The dangers of outdated data centers



Ironically, outdated data centers actually increase the risk of creating an
outage. Why? From new security measures to expanded storage capabilities, data
center changes build over time and often complicate operations.

Older data centers rely on network operators to manually enact these changes –
a tedious, time-consuming, and error-prone process. And without a single source
of truth that documents all previous changes, there is a deviation between the
current state of the network and the architect’s original intent when they
designed it. Operators brought on to manage the network aren’t always clear on
how the network was configured, what the original intent was or why certain
changes were made over time, heightening risk.  

When operators are unsure whether the configuration changes, they perform may
break something, major outages can occur. From a security standpoint, confusion
about how the network was configured means operators don’t know if the network
meets the data requirements of the organization or if any changes might push the
network out of compliance.

Simply put, outdated data centers are risky and inefficient. Organizations that
use switches and equipment longer than they should spend much more on their data
center in the long run. Often these organizations are forced to rent additional
space and draw more power – all while receiving lower performance from the
network than they would have if they upgraded.

An outdated data center puts organizations at a competitive disadvantage like
never before. Since 2000, 52 percent of Fortune 500 companies have gone bankrupt
or been acquired because of digital disruption. At the end of the day,
organizations of all sizes require consistent data center updates to remain
ahead of the competition.

An organizational mandate leads to automation and efficiency

So, what can organizations with outdated data centers do to improve their
networks and technology? Organizations should create mandates requiring upgrades
to their data centers at a regular cadence. Without a mandate in place, leaders
can be wary of updating their networks because the process of updating, if not
done on a regular basis, is perceived as risky.

Organizations need to create a strategic plan for periodic upgrades and ensure
the proper steps are taken through ongoing training. This practice should
include IT teams investigating the latest technologies and vendors as well as
training on the latest switches on the market.

By setting aside a transformation budget and resources, updates are embedded in
routine processes. When IT teams set explicit plans for modernization every few
years, they can improve performance by three to five times, delivering scalable,
agile operations at a lower cost.

And if an organization leverages software that has automation capabilities, it
can then automate the human error out of the loop. This type of self-documenting
software runs through a single source of truth that documents the intent,
configurations, and state of the network in a central location. Additionally, if
a change pushed across a network has an unintended result, it can be rolled back
to a previous version via automation.

Get into the practice of regular updates

A modern data center ensures that processes run smoothly while mitigating
potential risk or margin of error. If organizations want to rise to the demands
of digital transformation, better protect the security of their data and
maintain a competitive edge, they need to create a practice around updating
their data center technology.

Mansour Karam is VP Products at Juniper Networks.


TAGS:

Data center modernization
Data center skills
Commentary
Data Centers
Network Security

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