GEC NEWS WIREAcc to Dimension Data’s annual ¹Network Barometer Report the rise in the number of interconnected devices will lead to a scarcity of IPv4 addresses, compelling organisations to adopt the new standard, IPv6
Organisations across the globe are slowly expanding the wireless capabilities of their networks’ access points. However, 74% of these devices are still older models that cannot support advanced enterprise mobility requirements. In addition, the majority of network devices are not yet IPv6-capable – only 21% support IPv6. Combined, these factors point to organisations not giving the impact of the Internet of Things, enterprise mobility, and collaboration via the network sufficient strategic focus.
According to Dimension Data’s Raoul Tecala, Business Development Director for Networking, “In an environment where the majority of end users connect to the network wirelessly, the traditional campus access-switching network must evolve. In the old model, 80% of the switch ports were for dedicated, wired users while 20% were for shared, wireless users. This ratio will need to change: 80% of switch ports will have to be for shared, wireless users, and 20% for dedicated, wired users.”
The most important indicator that organisations are growing their network’s mobile capabilities, however, is the increase in access switches able to support power-over-Ethernet. This choice of a more sophisticated, more expensive device indicates a conscious decision on the part of the organisation to opt for expanded functionality.
The Internet of Things is also predicted to have an influence on corporate infrastructures, particularly in the adoption of the new Internet protocol, IPv6, across network devices. IPv6 is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol (IP) which provides an identification and location system for devices on networks, and routes traffic across the Internet.
Tecala reckons that the Internet of Things will see an increasing number and variety of business-enabling technologies interconnecting via networks, including over the Internet. “Non-human objects will be able to gather data from their environment, interact with one another and make intelligent decisions, all without the intervention of a human. This evolution in networking has many business benefits: from generating useful big data that will enable better decision-making, to increasing visibility and control of systems and processes, which will reduce management time and cost.
“We recommend that organisations prepare the infrastructure for enterprise mobility and the Internet of Things, which should form part of a coherent network architecture strategy. It shouldn’t be handled reactively, but approached in a more planned and organised way by creating and executing against a comprehensive roadmap of development,” says Tecala.
