Productise Network Infrastructure

This “click of a button” process will be the face of the number of things that flows behind the scenes, from ordering network links to logistics and organizing onsite technicians for physical installation work.

“Product” is a term that is frequently associated with technology at present. “Product” is mostly associated with software development. It is now applied to other areas of IT systems and services too. So to speak, IT infrastructure, applications and services are getting productised. In technology every few years a new idea or a concept floats around, it becomes a trend, most organisations adopt it and so on.

With the introduction of cloud computing in technology infrastructure capabilities were enhanced. In terms of agility, scalability, availability and pricing models became more flexible with cloud computing. Also, made it easier to deploy larger sets of infrastructure items at the convenience of a few clicks. DevOps, Scripting, APIs, serverless computing made it easier to build and software & create applications. Networking has also made strides in technology. Virtualisation of network devices and services, software defined networking (SDWAN), programmable networks, SASE architecture to name a few. These developments made deploying infrastructure and customisation easier. Baseline infrastructure bundles are pre-built. Customisation is done at the point of consumption.

Products are goods, services or ideas that provide value to the customers to meet their needs. An IT product can be a piece of hardware, a block of code, combination of hardware and software, support services or a bundle of all of the above. Characteristics of a product are that: they are pre-built & tested, ready to consume, customised at consumption, easily replicated, off-the-shelf features, various offerings at different price points & sizes or capacity. If we think about all these characteristics and apply to IT products, such as software and applications, ain’t that what they offer ?

Now simply take these characteristics and apply that to building IT infrastructure. PaaS, SaaS, IaaS services and cloud computing, DevOps, Scripting and automation tools are all offered as products. Combination of those products have made it possible to build infrastructure products for customers to consume off the shelf. Deploying a server that runs either Windows or Linux operating systems is just a few clicks and completes in a few minutes. Storage type, size of memory and CPU, level of security patching etc. can be predefined and can be built as a bundle. This is just a simple example of creating a simple infrastructure offering as a commodity.

Network technologies have updated. Architecture and constructs of network infrastructure has changed. Configuration and management planes have moved to cloud platforms with technologies such as SDWAN. Traditional private networks such as MPLS are moving into internet based public WANs. Network security is paramount at present and the edge of the network in the yesteryears have moved closer to the end user. Datacenter perimeter and edges are shrinking. Networking hardware is built with a few functions bundled together, such as routing, switching and firewall functions. If not all, most of the technology platforms have APIs these days. They have made automation easier. Configurations can be automated and scripted.

With these developments in the field, monitoring and alerting can provide some level of help in automating support functions too. Regardless of the methodology used, whether it is ITIL or SIAM or any other, tools are already available to support some level of automation for workflows. Introduction of high speed fiber networks and broadband networks like the National Broadband Network (NBN) in Australia have made ordering a network link different to yesteryears. Mobile data technologies like 5G will add flexibility to the landscape of network connectivity in future.

Using all these advancements and changes in the field, how can a network product be built? Start with applying the characteristics of a product;

• First thing is understanding the business requirements (i.e. any pressing matters related to the network, is there enough bandwidth in the current network, future & current architecture of business applications, access requirements, network security etc. )
• Then create a baseline or a set of metrics to classify the network in its current state. Set of metrics and standards can be, network link type, bandwidth required, hardware types and models, subnet size and IP allocation etc.
• Identify additional services such as web security & support mechanism and add as part of the bundle
• Once a defined set of standards and items required and a set of products are listed, next will be to create the workflows and assign responsible parties for various components.
• Creating configuration scripts, templates, order processes, delivery and physical installation work etc. are some of the tasks and workflows. Some of these can be a once off task that can be repeatedly used, such as configuration templates.

These standards, metrics and workflows will allow to create a single product that can be ordered through a catalogue of IT products and services. Combining all of this is to be able to create a single product item like “ Category X Network” or “Site Type X Network”. Place the product item in the IT products & services catalogue to select and order with a click of a button.

This “click of a button” process will be the face of the number of things that flows behind the scenes, from ordering network links to logistics and organizing onsite technicians for physical installation work.

It is easier as a concept but implementation can be a huge task. It might take a few attempts to complete and change management should not be overlooked or under invested in. It may not be possible to have every process and item to make a completely autonomous and seamless product. It will certainly not be a smooth task, especially where third parties are involved in providing services; OLA’s and contracts are required to be updated to reflect both parties’ requirement to deliver an end to end service.. Though, shall start small and develop overtime.

There are some organisations that have developed and implemented this concept successfully. Not only by creating network infrastructure deployment as a product but also attaching some of the support tasks like monitoring and troubleshooting. As the technology develops, processes and procedures need to update as well. Adopting new concepts and processes will help organisations grow. In a world where things are moving to be more agile and product based activities, network infrastructure too can be productised to keep up with business demand.