Transcript Develop a Global Network Strategy-SAMPLE - Info

Develop a Global Network Strategy
Introduction
Ordering data lines to do business with the organization’s foreign operations is NOT the same as in
North America. IT leaders must understand the differences in planning, timelines, and budget in
order to be successful in deploying the global network for the business.
Why you should read this solution set:
This solution set is designed for:
 Deploying networks globally present
challenges on a much larger scale than
within the same country.
 Many IT leaders have limited knowledge
and experience on how to tackle global
issues of connectivity, latency, and
availability to achieve optimal global
performance.
 It is important to get it right the first time. A
comprehensive plan and strategy for global
network deployment will increase chances
of success.
 This set is designed for IT leaders in North
America (director and management level) in
organizations that have recently inherited a
data center or server room in another country
(regardless of the situation they have
acquired the data center) that now need to
deploy and support a global network.
 This solution set will focus on the strategy of
deploying a global network but will not speak
to global network operations after
deployment.
This solution set will address the issues and challenges faced by IT leaders in North American organizations that have been
charged with managing a global expansion to aid them in developing a strategy to deploy the global network.
Understand the
Global Situation
Info-Tech Research Group
Gather Global
Network
Requirements
Assess Global
Network Options
Select Global Carriers
and Providers
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Executive Summary
Understand the Global Situation
• Organizations experience a common set of challenges no matter how they manage services. Be prepared for global challenges
such as latency, connectivity options, IT costs/staffing, network performance, carrier presence, and mean time to repair.
• Connectivity costs vary widely from country to country. Many enterprises experience a range of $1,000 to $250,000 in onetime connection costs, and anywhere from $1,000 per month up to $100,000 per month afterward.
• Choosing how and where to manage services will relate to the connectivity options available at your foreign facilities, and how
well they will achieve business objectives.
Gather Global Network Requirements
• Typical domestic networks take 4-6 weeks to deploy, while the majority of successful global network deployments can take
over 17 weeks. While often seen as tedious, the discovery process is one of the most important upfront planning activities.
• Gathering network requirements should be a collaborative effort within IT and will require more than just the network staff.
Include IT staff such as application owners, business leaders, and current carriers in the process.
• Apply network metrics to each app to better understand primary and foreign site standards and expectations. Use metrics
such as latency, jitter, packet loss, availability, and MTTR to better understand network requirements.
Assess Global Network Options
• A recent Info-Tech survey shows that managing foreign network infrastructure in-house within a foreign country takes
approx. 35% more effort to deploy. However, none of the management models presented significantly more challenges or
success than the rest. A complete assessment and evaluation of all options should be conducted before connecting the
network to ensure it is done right the first time. Assess in-house, hosted, and virtual network operators to determine the best
fit for the enterprise.
• Enterprises that choose virtual network operators partnerships put in 33% less effort as compared to other network options.
• WAN optimization is an effective way to speed up overseas network performance.
Select & Manage Global Providers
• Look beyond price when choosing a vendor or carrier. To help in the decision making phase, consider criteria such as service
levels, geographic coverage, and technology used.
• A one-size SLA does not fit all; regardless of the global network management model chosen, review the provider’s SLA
meticulously.
• Deploying an Network Management System will allow you to monitor the global WAN for performance and availability, to
ensure SLAs are met.
Understand the challenges associated with deploying a global
network to prepare for, and overcome obstacles
Develop a Global Network Strategy Roadmap
Understand the
Global
Situation
Gather Global
Network
Requirements
Assess Global
Network Options
Select Global
Carriers and
Providers
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• Identify the unique challenges associated with deploying a global network.
• Identify the key areas to focus effort, and factors that influence success, when
deploying a global network.
• Understand the decisions points involved when deploying
• Learn from other organizations’ experiences through a case study method of
deploying a global network.
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Get it done right the first time; establish realistic expectations
when developing a global network strategy
Many IT leaders faced with deploying a global network for the first time lack the
knowledge and experience. Most assume that they can just call a provider and get
set up – regardless of the geographical area. While for larger carriers this may be a
possibility, many smaller North American providers do not have a global
presence. In addition, many forget other barriers such as entering places under
embargo, or with more stringent regulations. (i.e. Cuba or China) making the
planning and evaluation phase critical.
Doing it right the first time will not only save money, but will save time and
effort to fix network problems later. Many IT leaders in North America make the
assumption that connecting global facilities to the network will take the same
time as in North America (4-6 weeks), however seasoned global network
managers will tell you to expect timeframes of over 17 weeks. IT leaders must be
prepared to have a discussion with the business that addresses more realistic
timelines for global deployment.
One time set-up costs and on-going monthly costs can range widely depending on
the country. However, it is generally the last mile costs in many countries can be
unexpectedly high. Without conducting proper due diligence, organizations could
find themselves spending several thousand dollars per month to connect
from the street to the building.
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Tackle the common challenges that act as the most significant
obstacles to global network deployment
Identifying potential challenges is the first step to success. Consider the following obstacles before
moving forward in global network deployment.
Latency. Meeting the level of tolerance for latency between sites may
become an obstacle. Latency in excess of 200 ms begins to become
perceptible in voice and video interactions. Real time communications
demand latency below 200 ms. Meet with users to determine network
requirements. Consider using WAN optimization solutions.
Connectivity Options. Many locales lack the breadth of connectivity
options available in North America. Connections can also be much more
expensive than their North American equivalents. Speak to large carriers and
virtual network operators (VNOs) to help assess costs.
IT Costs/Staffing. When delivering services to facilities overseas, 24/7
availability may be required (due to time zone differences). Increased
availability and support needs are exacerbated when IT is centralized. Assess
business requirements to better understand the global needs of the
organization.
Network Performance. The distance and number of networks that traffic
must travel when going overseas can reduce performance, leading to jitter
and packet loss.. Meet with users to determine service level requirements.
Consider WAN optimization solutions, and local servers for some functions.
Carrier Presence. Though most large carriers can negotiate connections
for you in foreign countries, a lack of local network infrastructure near your
foreign facilities can drive up costs. Send a request for proposal (RFP) to
large carriers and VNOs.
MTTR. Most North American carriers are quick to respond to network
outages. Overseas, even in Europe, this is not always the case. Many local
telecoms overseas have a MTTR of over 48 hours. Attempt to get a better
MTTR guarantee in a contract, or use a VNO instead of a typical carrier.
Info-Tech Research Group
Organizations experience challenges
no matter how they manage services.
Be prepared by taking actions to
mitigate those challenges.
Increased IT costs & latency are the most common challenges
across the globe, but the others can easily sink you
A recent Info-Tech survey found that several items
related to deploying a global network represent
significant challenges affecting the success of deployment.
challenge, especially in organizations that are managing
all infrastructure in-house from a single location, or inhouse at foreign facilities.
Network
Performance
MTTR
Why? These scenarios represent the greatest need for
additional support after normal operating hours,
significantly increasing IT support costs.
Connectivity
Options
Carrier
Presence
“
What happened was they worked with [a carrier] to
try to get an MPLS link between Singapore and
Toronto thinking that was the magic. That wasn’t
the magic. It turned out that signals were running
around Singapore Island three or four times just
creating this latency. They would’ve had to do jump
through hoops in order to change the time-outs and
all that kind of stuff.
- Consultant, IT consulting firm
“
Latency represents the second biggest challenge
Info-Tech Research Group
High
Latency
Organizations managing all services in-house, regardless
of location, are at least 13% more likely to cite
increased IT costs and staffing as a challenge.
Why? Latency is severely impacted by the distance data
has to travel when crossing oceans and continents. Issues
causing high latency include carrier network
performance, multiple hops, distance between facilities,
and re-routing due to downed lines.
Low
IT Costs,
Staffing
IT costs and staffing represent the biggest
experienced by organizations with global networks.
Average degree of agreement of challenges
experienced in deploying a global network
Gather business objectives & requirements for greater chances
of success, especially when working in Asia
Over 83% of respondents reported medium-tocolossal effort in gathering business objectives and
requirements, leading these organizations to be 32
times more likely to have a successful global
network deployment.
Over 90% of respondents have deployed WAN
optimization solutions, and are 15 times more
likely to have a successful global network
deployment.
Each bar represents a statistical estimate of the strength of the
correlation between each global network activity and the overall success of
managing your global network.
Source: Info-Tech Research Group, N = 31
Working in Asia requires more effort than
other locales.
Companies with foreign facilities in Asia (excluding India)
spent a significantly higher amount of time on requirements
gathering and deploying WAN optimization solutions. This is
likely due to the relatively poor network infrastructure in
countries like China, Philippines, and Indonesia. In addition
laws are significantly different for each country, making it a
very regional issue to work with Asia.
Throw cost expectations, especially one-time connection costs,
out the window
Attempting to contact local telecom providers, receive concrete
information, and get your foreign facilities connected can be a
lot like climbing a mountain. There’s always a little bit of
uncertainty, and you probably have to take at least one or two
leaps of faith without knowing how it will work out.
There are several ways to mitigate the risk involved in finding
local, reliable vendors:
Reach out to your social and professional networks by
phone, email, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for
referrals.
Speak to any customers or partners located in the
same region, asking them for the names of reputable
firms.
Use tools like ping and traceroute to test response
times and the number of hops your traffic will have to
go through.
Getting connected also takes a great deal of time. Play it
safe and assume a period of at least 6-8 weeks before
your E1, metro Ethernet, or fiber line will be put in.
Info-Tech Research Group
Your carrier’s fees aren’t $5,000 a
month, the local incumbent’s are
A large portion of your one-time and monthly
connectivity costs actually originate from the
incumbent responsible for the last mile
infrastructure. North American carriers attempt
to make it easy to get connected overseas, but
dealing with local incumbents and regulations
prohibit this from being easy or cost effective.
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Connectivity costs vary widely country to country; assume you
will be paying more than you do in North America
A recent survey revealed that connectivity
costs in European countries, excluding the
UK and Germany, tend to be the highest.
Connectivity costs vary widely from region to
region, and country to country. A recent survey
yielded that respondents paid a range of $1,000
to $250,000 in one-time connection costs, and
anywhere from $1,000 per month up to
$100,000 per month afterward.
“
“
We ended up having to actually install a
global IPLC global Ethernet connection point
to point between India and the U.S., which is
significantly more expensive at $45,000
U.S. a year for a 4Mbps Ethernet pipe.
- Shawn Frederickson, IT Director, Knowledge
Technology
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Achieving success will largely depend on choosing the
management model that best aligns with business objectives
In-House
Choose the Best Management Model For You
Pros
Cons
Both management models, either in-house or hosted
(including managed services and co-location), have
their pros and cons. At the end of the day, choosing
how and where to manage services from will have a
lot to do with the connectivity options available at
your foreign facilities, and how well they will achieve
business objectives.
Full local control by
your own staff
Need to hire local
support
Easy to enforce
internal processes
Redundant WAN
links unlikely
Easy to expand
May add additional
hop or two
- Jack Nash, former Global Telecoms Architect, Kraft Foods
“
“
We selected Toronto, Canada as a central location
for the global data center. I was working on a plan
though to move those servers out of a central
location because the closer you are to the data
center, the better end-user experience you have.
And if you’re Asia Pacific you absolutely hate
[connectivity to] Toronto. As a result, we actually
had another data center down in Australia that
essentially served the APAC user community.
Hosted
Pros
Cons
Multiple, redundant
WAN links
Less control over
network
infrastructure
Potentially fewer hops
May take additional
effort to expand
No need to hire local
support
Additional services
mean additional fees
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