What is an Infinite Enterprise?
According to Gartner Magic Quadrant Leaders, Extreme Networks, we are all firmly in the era of the Infinite Enterprise. But what exactly is the Infinite Enterprise and why should organisations want to become ‘Infinite’?
Zeus Kerravala at ZK Research said ‘While the concept of the Infinite Enterprise might have sounded like science fiction 18 months ago, it is our reality in a Post-Pandemic world. Extreme Networks has the solutions and technology vision organisations need to meet consumer expectations long-term.’
How to become an Infinite Enterprise?
The approach of an Infinite Enterprise concept is based around three core tenets, each of which provide the foundation for an organisation to grow without physical or technological boundaries, whilst delivering the highest level of user experience to all that access the network. To be classed as an infinite enterprise, an organisation must be able to support the following – be Consumer Centric, Infinitely Distributed and do both of the former At Scale.
Consumer Centric
The consumer centric approach must ensure that all users find technology:
- Easy to use. Must be accessible to all users and be seen an enabler and have a positive ‘in-product’ experience
- Easy to build upon and to integrate. Technology needs to be able to work with a wide ecosystem of technologies and integrate and add value to these, such as through the use of API’s
- Easy to Manage and get access to support. Providing intuitive insights into issues and using AI/ML into troubleshooting issues when they arise for example
Infinitely Distributed
With the need for reliable connectivity, mobility and Security become even more important with an infinite enterprise, the network should follow the key principles below.
- Easy to buy, deploy and manage. This could be as simple as ensuring a common or universal hardware platform for seamless deployments regardless of location
- Easy to Manage. Working towards a zero touch provision of hardware with a management platform that incorporates all elements of the network with simple tasks automated, reducing administration overheads.
- Always on security. Enterprise grade security across the whole network with integration into a wider security ecosystem is a key requirement.
At Scale
Every solution must be delivered at scale. This means scaling services, technology, and even people to provide reliable and secure experiences everywhere and for everyone. To be a truly Infinite Enterprise, organisations demand the ability to perform any action ‘At Scale’, Scaling up and out from a single device to millions. This can only be achieved with Cloud adoption at the cornerstone of any strategy whether that be by flexible public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises solutions that cater to diverse business connectivity and commercial needs.
