Q1 2020

MEAMARKETS / Q1 2020 25 Lessons in Digital Workplace Transformations on the Wi-Fi network. And with over 12,100 employees, 23 production companies in 12 countries, and sales companies and representatives in 74 countries worldwide, we’re talking about a lot of devices. Before these devices connect to the network and start transmitting valuable data, Viessmann knew it needed to put in place a flexible management system that would enable it to control network access for all its devices in the future. By bringing in our Aruba ClearPass solution, which uses an integrated, context-based policy engine, and combining it with AirWave to manage network administrator rights, Viessmann can rest assured that it has total control over the devices on its Wi-Fi network at all times. Lesson Two : Make sure that network access controls and network management form a key part of any decision you make to bring new devices into your organisation. • Don’t forget about your wired network My final lesson points people towards their wired network as the logical next step in their journey. Göliska-IT is a service provider for six Swedish municipalities. The organisation first started working with Aruba in 2008 when it was looking to create a scalable solution for wireless access that would grow as its customer base of politicians, teachers and students continued to expand. Though wireless is the primary method of connecting to its network today, this summer the organisation began the next phase of its network upgrade – replacing the current wired switches to create a unified network management system that will drastically simplify how the network is managed. Over the next five years, the organisation will migrate over 900 switches to Aruba’s 2930F switch series, as well as bringing in Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager, Aruba Airwave or Aruba Central. With these combined solutions, Göliska-IT will be able to sit back and let Aruba Dynamic Segmentation automatically enforce consistent access policies across both its wired and wireless networks – regardless of how devices connect – to keep traffic secure and separate. Not only should this reduce the strain on network management (I’m particularly talking to those of you with small IT teams here), but the increased simplicity and efficiency of the network operations and delivery will also allow Göliska-IT to accelerate the provisioning of services to drive its digital transformation further and faster. Lesson Three : Don’t stop at Wi- Fi deployment – instead, look for ways to harmonise your network architecture across both wired and wireless to truly digitally transform your organization. Learn as you go The benefits that digital transformation offers organisations today are undeniable, but they can be complicated to truly realise if everyone involved doesn’t approach the project with their eyes fully open. Before diving into anything, make sure your project lead takes all the relevant disciplines through the overarching vision. For real success, this vision then needs to be segmented into a step-by-step approach, where learnings are applied after every step has been taken.