Managing modern enterprise networks is a task that has grown both increasingly challenging and increasingly onerous. Overcoming WAN challenges is getting harder. According to an industry report released in May 2022, the number of connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices was projected to reach 27 billion active connections by 2025, up from 12.2 billion in 2021.1 In the face of these mounting WAN challenges, businesses are searching for how to best manage their networks.
Network Engineers are Overwhelmed
The teams tasked with managing unique, complex WAN environments are finding that their network engineers are overwhelmed. They are battling tremendous workloads, experiencing constant mental stress, and struggling to dedicate any time towards proactive optimization. Instead, they are scrambling to respond to a constant stream of alerts and tickets. The time to overcome WAN challenges is increasing.
To alleviate the burden on their engineers and to minimize the impact of any outages on their customers, WAN management teams rely on monitoring tools. The global network monitoring market has grown steadily larger in recent years. It has been valued at US$2.11 billion in 2021 and projected to grow to US$3.8 billion by 2030.2 In theory, these tools should simplify WAN management by alleviating the need for direct human intervention via increased automation. However, the reverse has proven to be true: despite the high availability and variety of sophisticated monitoring tools, a recent survey has shown that 52% of network engineers are reporting increased mean time to resolution (MTTR) for business customers.3
Clearly, the solution cannot be to continue indiscriminately adding more tools: more, in this case, does not mean better. But what is the solution to overcoming WAN challenges? In order to effectively overcome these WAN challenges, it is crucial first to recognize the obstacles facing engineers. They fall broadly into two categories: human problems, and technology problems. In a series of upcoming articles, we’ll be exploring some of these common pain points in further detail.
How IntelliTrex is Purpose-Built To Enable The Delivery of Exceptional WAN Performance
Overcoming WAN challenges isn’t about adding more technology—it’s about adding the right technology.
Imagine a unified WAN optimization engine deliberately crafted to be a strategic enabler, enhancing the capabilities and reach of NOCs and empowering engineers and technicians to do more. Something that goes beyond portal-based tools, harnessing the true potential of your data and transforming it into actionable intelligence that you can use to increase node-to-engineer density, proactively harden your network operations, decrease MTTR, enhance your customers’ experience—and ultimately put money back into your company coffers.
It has a name: IntelliTrex.
As a leading managed Software-as-a-Service provider, and as pioneers in the world of WAN management, Trextel understands what you need to navigate the challenging landscape of WAN management. We’ve built our optimization engine to meet the unique needs of WAN management, and we have our finger on the pulse of the industry so that IntelliTrex is always growing and evolving alongside your business. Download our industry report for more insights on WAN challenges and how you can evolve your WAN management operations to meet them.
1. https://iot-analytics.com/number-connected-iot-devices/ and Cisco VNI Complete Forecast
2. Polaris Market Research. (2021). Network Monitoring Market Size, Share, Trends, Analysis Report. Retrieved from https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/network-monitoring-market
3.Opengear. (2022). The Costs of Downtime. https://opengear.com/white-papers/white-paper-the-costs-of-downtime/
