How to improve network performance and interconnect to public clouds, partners, and customers

An unavailable network moves nothing, and high latency can slow traffic to a crawl, causing business disruption and poor user experiences like long response times, application errors, and data integrity issues. Improving network performance is essential to mitigate these issues and ensure smooth operations.

While the rules of physics limit data transmission speed, edge and distributed workload placements decrease the distance between an application and its users, thereby reducing response times and improving user experience. Well-architected and redundant interconnections between carrier networks and cloud providers avoid single points of failure and increase availability and performance. Embedded network security further protects data, network availability, and performance.

Monitoring and improving the network's performance is crucial to ensure high availability and reliability. This impacts user experience, productivity, and customer satisfaction, making it a key focus for enterprises.

As organizations increasingly use multiple clouds, distributed and edge workload placements, and they more heavily rely on digital engagement with their ecosystem (customers, partners, suppliers, and employees), reliable, low-latency networks and interconnections become even more critical to basic business operations and positive technology sentiment.

Understanding network performance

Network performance refers to how well a network supports desired operations and services. It is a critical aspect of any organization’s IT infrastructure, as it directly impacts employee productivity, customer satisfaction, and overall business success. Network performance is measured by various metrics, including network speed, latency, packet loss, and jitter. Understanding these metrics is essential to identifying areas of improvement and optimizing network performance.

Several factors influence network performance, including network infrastructure, network traffic, and network configuration. A well-designed network infrastructure ensures data packets travel efficiently between devices, reducing delays and improving overall network speed. Effective traffic management prevents congestion, ensuring that data flows smoothly even during peak usage times. Additionally, an optimized network configuration tailors the network to the specific needs of the organization, enhancing performance and reliability.

Network monitoring and maintenance are also crucial for maintaining high network performance. Regularly monitoring network performance metrics helps identify potential issues before they escalate, allowing for proactive measures to be taken. This continuous oversight ensures that the network remains optimized and capable of effectively supporting the organization’s operations.

Here are three common challenges around network performance and interconnection and how to address them

“I need to improve my network response time and improve network performance for distributed users.”

Distributed workforces are the new normal, and businesses need high-performing, low-latency network solutions that allow distributed users and remote employees to work efficiently. With outsourced hybrid IT solutions, you can achieve low-latency connections between core data centers, edge locations, and clouds. Work with a partner that provides consistent configuration and connectivity options across a geographically distributed portfolio for high-performance results, and that has a team of experts who can aid you in building an edge strategy that supports distributed users with predictable performance. Additionally, focus on strategies and tools that optimize network performance to enhance speed, reliability, and efficiency.

“I need to provide network security and a reliable network to the core data centers, delivered in a standard, repeatable fashion.”

As edge solutions are integrated into IT strategies to offer lower latency connections, organizations need to ensure data security as it travels between edge deployments and the core data center. Work with a partner that provides a secure, private, and fully managed network to connect to cloud service providers, colocation facilities, back-office platforms, carrier hotels, or to the edge. They should also offer proactive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection with managed IP bandwidth services to further protect data. Utilize consistent connectivity solutions to ensure the same high-performing, secure solution across all deployments. 

“I need to improve reliability to my cloud provider and reduce single points of failure on the network.”

Cloud deployments are increasingly integrated into IT strategies, making reliable cloud connections essential to provide better performance for end-users. Utilizing network performance data to optimize network setups and configurations is crucial for achieving this reliability. Flexential Cloud Fabric offers secure, direct, low-latency connections to the leading cloud service providers such as Google Cloud, AWS, and Azure. To reduce single points of failure, the network is continually monitored to ensure its reliability and performance, with a 100% network uptime and bandwidth guarantee.

Network infrastructure optimization

Network infrastructure optimization involves designing and configuring the physical and logical components of a network to achieve optimal performance. This process includes selecting the right network devices, such as routers, switches, and firewalls, and configuring them to meet the organization’s specific needs. Ensuring that these components are properly integrated and aligned with the network’s goals is essential for achieving high network performance.

A well-optimized network infrastructure can significantly improve network performance by reducing latency and increasing network speed. By preventing network congestion and minimizing packet loss and jitter, an optimized infrastructure ensures that data packets are transmitted efficiently and reliably. This not only enhances the user experience but also supports the smooth operation of critical business applications.

Moreover, an optimized network infrastructure plays a vital role in improving network security. By implementing robust security measures and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, organizations can protect their network resources from cyber threats. This comprehensive approach to network optimization helps create a secure, reliable, and high-performing network environment that supports the organization’s objectives.

By focusing on network infrastructure optimization, organizations can achieve a well-rounded, efficient, and secure network that meets their performance needs and supports their growth and success.

FlexAnywhere Platform for complex hybrid IT environments

Reliable, high-performing connections are necessary to keep businesses operating effectively. Connecting to cloud services and an expanding ecosystem of providers, partners, and customers is vital in today’s business landscape. But just connecting is not enough. Low-latency, secure, reliable connections are vital for modern businesses that utilize real-time applications across a distributed environment. Real-time monitoring and continuous observability of network data are crucial to enhance network efficiency.

The FlexAnywhere Platform provides best practices for accelerating the deployment of hybrid IT solutions, improving availability, infrastructure performance, and the network's speed and interconnection reliability to public clouds, partners, and customers.

Flexential can help you solve your challenges around network performance and interconnection here.