The case for cloud networking in government

Analysts predict the growth in enterprise IT spend for cloud-based offerings will be faster than the growth in traditional, non-cloud spending through 2022 (Gartner Market Insight: Cloud Shift 2018 to 2022). This shift of enterprise IT spend, coupled with the speed of innovation of IT cloud services, has seen 50% of organisations pivot to cloud networking.

In the government sector, many Australian agencies are adopting cloud services to facilitate digital transformation; however, barriers to a cloud-first approach include perceived risks around security, integrity and availability of critical government systems across cloud deployments. And of key strategic importance to government agencies is the need to protect the information of citizens and the assurance that data stored in the cloud is secure, accurate and reliable.

As the industry shifts gears, Extreme Networks is innovating to become the first cloud-driven end-to-end enterprise networking vendor, and we’ve gone out of our way to make sure companies sleep better at night when trusting us to safeguard their data.

ExtremeCloud IQ is the industry’s first 4th generation cloud network management platform that works across Extreme’s entire wired and wireless portfolio. By leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, the ExtremeCloud IQ platform automates routine network administration and configuration functions such as alerts, diagnosis and rectifying of security issues to provide better insights, visibility, control and automation across the network.

To ensure the highest levels of information systems and data protection, management and compliance, Extreme Networks’ ExtremeCloud IQ platform is ISO/IEC 27001 certified by the International Standards Organization (ISO). By end of 2020, ExtremeCloud IQ will be the only cloud management solution with all three major ISO certifications for cloud, giving agencies assurance that Extreme is protecting their data.

For government organisations looking to transform their current modes of operation, the implementation of an automated, cloud-managed infrastructure has significant benefits. The move away from traditional on-premise owned and operated infrastructure to “evergreen” type service offerings will provide huge upsides and workload shifts. IT departments no longer have to purchase, deploy and maintain computing hardware and software in-house, while cloud services are quick and easy to deploy, scale as needed without involvement from IT, and are automatically updated to the latest release level.

ExtremeCloud IQ enables such transformations by securely protecting critical data and improving service delivery for constituents through an increase in the agility, flexibility and speed of delivery of digital services to the public sector. Now more than ever is the time for government agencies to look to cloud networking to underpin their strategic shift around digital transformation.

*Julian Critchlow is the General Manager of Extreme Networks Australia and New Zealand.

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