6 Ways Cloud Networking Teams Can Up Their Game

In the pursuit of cloud excellence, many organizations have settled for cloud networks that are adequate at best. This will usually cause a ripple effect of dissatisfaction; for example, if your network is too slow to implement changes, you might test the patience of your developers. If you lack visibility and management controls, then you may struggle to assure C-suite executives when asked about usage, performance, and availability.

So, why do enterprises put up with it? Well, many cloud networking teams believe that achieving excellence will be too costly and too difficult – but that’s not actually the case.

The tools and skills required are more accessible than you might think. Here are six ways to help your cloud networking team up their game.

1) Prepare for multi-cloud

If you haven’t made the inevitable transition to multi-cloud yet, then you should take the opportunity to prepare for it. Start defining a secure multi-cloud network architecture as soon as you can to help prevent any backtracking or workarounds. You can also build consistency across the clouds from the get-go, allowing you to hit the ground running with automation, reporting, and much more.

You could even consider learning Terraform and standing up a multi-cloud architecture in a test environment. With just a little time and money, you can create a cost-effective sandbox for you to practice with.

Related:5 Myths About Cloud Pricing

2) Achieve complete operational visibility and control

One of the biggest blockers to cloud excellence is a lack of visibility. A 360° view of your entire multi-cloud network will give you access to powerful information about the network itself and the overall business, including where things are growing and where you’ll need to scale.

While it’s true that cloud providers have their own dashboards and native tools, they aren’t designed with multi-cloud in mind, so they just won’t be as useful as a purpose-built cloud networking platform. Instead, you need both raw and visual data so that you can show how well the network is running.

Furthermore, having complete visibility is a good way to gain the trust of leaders and users. Without it, you’ll find yourself clambering to deal with issues that staff outside of the IT department are reporting to you. But with visibility, you can demonstrate proactivity; if you spot issues before they have to be flagged to you, you can reassure them that you're already working on them.

Read the rest of the ways cloud networking teams can up their game on Network Computing.