Network modernization is the process of replacing or augmenting legacy network infrastructure with services that support cloud-based connectivity and security services.
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Network modernization is the process of replacing on-premises network appliances with virtualized software, usually in the cloud. A modernized network provides flexibility, scalability, and security to accommodate evolving business needs. Some parts of the network can be offloaded to the cloud or the public Internet, helping avoid the costs associated with legacy networking approaches like multiprotocol label switching (MPLS).
The end state of a network that undergoes modernization should be a simpler network architecture. Enterprise networks often increase in complexity with the passage of time, as organizations add data centers and security appliances to meet new use cases. Modernized networks, instead of adding to this complexity, replace these with simpler, more flexible cloud-delivered connectivity and security.
Enterprise networks are wide area networks (WANs) that serve the needs of a single large organization and may facilitate access to internal resources (apps, data stores) for employees and contractors.
Enterprise networks traditionally connected centralized headquarters and branch offices to each other. With traditional networking, more equipment (such as firewalls, routers, and switches), must be provisioned and purchased to support each region. MPLS routes or leased lines were used for these connections, and enterprises used perimeter-based appliances like VPNs to manage access and protect sensitive data from outsiders.
With the increase in network bandwidth costs, cloud computing, and distributed work beyond the corporate perimeter, such an architecture is insufficient and too rigid for many enterprises.
Many enterprise networks undergo a process of modernization to transfer to a more lightweight and flexible architecture that is cloud-native and better supports edge computing for faster application performance. This process also enables support for increased SaaS usage and artificial intelligence (AI) workloads.
Modernized network architecture can vary, but key concepts they incorporate include Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), software-defined WAN (SD-WAN), or network-as-a-service (NaaS), and security measures like network-layer DDoS protection and secure web gateways (SWG). Security is natively integrated with network connections, and network connections can take place from anywhere between any devices, servers, and clouds. The network itself is distributed, built on cloud-native services, rather than with hardware and hardcoded connections. (This type of architecture is called "secure access service edge," or SASE.)
In general, modernized networks avoid:
This describes the ideal, but in reality many enterprises have critical services hosted in data centers or business-critical connections via MPLS, and for the sake of continued business operations, these cannot be easily ripped and replaced. Modernized networks should be able to equally serve flexible cloud services and legacy infrastructure. At the same time, network modernization also positions organizations well to eventually transition all services to the cloud if desired.
Network modernization should not be a process of just adding yet another vendor to an already-complex internal network.
Organizations who choose to adopt a SASE model to achieve network modernization place network and security controls on the cloud edge instead of the corporate data center. This enables key use cases such as:
"Coffee shop networking," a term coined by analyst firm Gartner, refers to a flexible, modernized approach to networking. It supports a "work from anywhere" approach to workforce management — in other words, making secure network connections available from corporate WANs, personal home LANs, and third- and fourth-party WiFi networks (such as those hosted in coffee shops).
NaaS is a model for delivering networking services through the cloud. NaaS customers can operate their own networks without any of their own infrastructure. Connectivity is delivered over the Internet. This is one form a modernized network can take.
Cloudflare helps enterprises embrace network modernization and reduce their network's complexity. Cloudflare offers WAN-as-a-Service, Firewall-as-a-Service, DDoS protection, and SD-WAN in one framework — learn more about network services.