Over the past 26 years, Wi-Fi has proven itself to be the cornerstone of today's local area networks (LANs). As a result, it is also the foundation on which most businesses operate today. In other words, today's ongoing "digital transformation" that drives many business decisions is bringing about dramatic changes in IT infrastructure. This is driven by the ongoing migration of enterprise data and applications to the cloud. With the vast majority of enterprises running mission-critical applications in a "cloud-first" manner and using services like Zoom and Salesforce through a cloud-based subscription model, the question is not whether this paradigm shift will affect enterprise wireless local area networks (WLANs), but when, a historically hardware-dependent networking model that has proven difficult to change.
Why apply cloud-native principles to WLAN?
Why change a model that has proven to be so effective? The reason is that priorities have changed. Today's enterprises are shifting their focus to business outcomes rather than simply maintaining technology infrastructure.
As it stands, IT is forced to spend a significant portion of its operational resources to "stay afloat." Consider the following aspects of today's network model:
Many stand-alone technologies and monolithic software.
Complex configurations are embedded in the hardware.
Painful software upgrade cycles.
Limited automation.
Limited data collection.
Separate AI models are needed to generate insights.
Decades of layering complexity consume every budget, security, and performance compromise when developing WLANs today. Today's CIOs don't care where the AP is located or what version of 802 is running11。They only care if the network is working as expected and if the team is working hard to build their business. If IT is freed up to focus on the most valuable projects that drive business growth, then applying the benefits of cloud native to enterprise networks should be a priority.
What does a cloud-native WLAN look like?
First, cloud-native WLANs are provided through a cloud-based subscription model. IT departments have made it clear that they prefer to use their apps and services through this path. For WLAN, the service may be provided by channel partners, traditional telecom companies, or even technology vendors. This includes zero upfront capital expenditures and no hardware purchases. In fact, many traditional enterprise networking vendors have recognized the advantages of this approach and are starting to offer basic network-as-a-service (Naas) offerings, but the simple truth is that most of these products are legacy hardware-centric models hidden behind clunky services.
Second, in relation to a cloud-based subscription model, a true cloud-native WLAN eliminates the need for IT to manage the product lifecycle. This means that there is no need to manage the transition between Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi or even 7. This means that you never have to cobble together switches, directors, and five different types of access points (APs). The burden of maintaining this technology should fall on the entity providing cloud-based services. This allows IT staff to focus on the applications and services running on the network itself, rather than having to spend time evaluating new hardware and figuring out how to integrate each new generation of wireless technology.
Third, cloud-native WLANs should incorporate Zero Trust cybersecurity principles as part of their foundation. In short, security must be built into the network from the start. There is no doubt that cybersecurity incidents pose an existential threat to businesses around the world. Most hardware-centric, on-premises models are vulnerable to attacks by malicious APs, twin networks, and man-in-the-middle attacks that threaten enterprise data. By incorporating Zero Trust network security principles designed for cloud-decentralized architectures, cloud-native WLANs can ensure that any device connected to the network is authenticated and monitored as it connects.
Finally, a WLAN that integrates cloud-native principles should be able to provide the same type of assurance that IT expects from other cloud services. When an enterprise contracts with AWS to run critical applications, it has specific expectations and guarantees for uptime and reliability. IT departments need to expect similar guarantees in terms of coverage, capacity, and reliability from WLANs.
What technologies are used to provide cloud-native wireless LANs?
In order to build the next generation of WLANs based on cloud-native principles, several common strategies and technologies must be employed. In summary, it is safe to describe the upcoming next-generation WLAN as an AI network. Industry analyst giant Gartner defines an AI network as follows: "AI networks provide granular and specific, actionable network insights." It can be a function in the network business management platform, an independent multi-business platform or part of the AIOPS platform; It can also be offered as part of a managed network service. It provides recommendations to speed up incident resolution and prevent outages and trouble tickets. ”
Among these common strategies, the first is to standardize system design. The idea behind this approach is to eliminate the need to build a unique architecture for each property that requires wireless connectivity. Since the physical infrastructure cannot be designed to determine optimal coverage and performance, each cloud-native WLAN should leverage the same AP and switching infrastructure managed by a decentralized management architecture. This is very different from today's WLAN model, which requires IT staff to choose from five different types of APs, multiple switch models, and different controllers depending on the building.
Once a standard architecture is implemented, 24/7 network performance monitoring should be driven by sensor-based technology. Sensor-driven network performance monitoring, including physical and virtual "bots" strategically placed throughout the network, can proactively monitor the network and the applications running on it. Once the appropriate policies and deep inspections are configured, the network itself will alert the IT department when an anomaly is detected. This could be a performance issue, a security vulnerability, or a critical outage in an important application. The point is that this work is performed by WLANs, not IT people. It also leads to very rich and in-depth insights into wireless LAN performance and the applications running on it.
These insights bring us to the next key to implementing cloud-native WLANs: AI-driven automation. This is a very different feature from the current AIOPS trend, which provides insight into Day 2 operational trends, but rarely does anything with these insights. AI automation delivers productivity-saving features from day 0 onwards, resulting in a significant reduction in overall network operations. This means that the network can actually identify and resolve minor network issues on its own.
This means that once standardized network design and sensor-driven insights are in place, IT has the ability to fully automate much of the network operations. This includes everything from the placement of APs, to coordinating software upgrades, to using voltage sensors to identify cabling issues. For example, continuous RF optimization and capacity planning for the network will enable IT departments to easily add and reduce new users. In fact, by adopting cloud-native principles, IT should be able to effectively eliminate the traditional need for a network operations center (NOC), allowing its teams to focus on higher-level priorities.
Leapfrog to the next generation of WLAN
Today's CIOs are just beginning to shift from traditional wireless architectures to more advanced cloud-native principles. Just as it takes time for enterprises to adapt to running mission-critical applications in the cloud, CIOs need time to master the productivity, security, and reliability benefits of WLANs based on this new architecture. There is no doubt that this shift will be challenging, especially for those who may feel that their role is threatened by the level of automation involved. But these same "threats" have also emerged during the transition to the cloud, so skilled IT staff are still in great demand. Roles will change, but the demand will remain, and it will almost certainly grow over time. This will happen, because this shift, like the previous shift to the cloud, is inevitable.