How AIOps is Transforming Network Management for the Better
In today’s interconnected digital era, organisations are dealing with more complex and dynamic networks than ever before. The challenges faced become increasingly multifaceted when businesses operate over several distributed sites. Could AIOps be the solution that helps transform network management in these organisations for the better?
In this blog post, we will delve into the fast-emerging world of AIOps and share how we are leveraging intelligent technology like this to deliver managed networks that result in enhanced network performance, reliability and security for your end customers. We'll break down complex concepts into easily digestible nuggets and explore how AIOps is shaping the future of many businesses' digital activity.
What is AIOps?
Gartner initially coined the term AIOps, short for Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations, in 2016. However, it is not just another buzzword in the tech world; it's a game-changer. When looking to understand what AIOps is, in essence, it is the combination of the power of artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, and advanced analytics to transform how we manage networks.
You can visualise AIOps as a network's personal assistant, constantly monitoring, analysing and optimising its performance and security. It’s active 24/7. It doesn't get tired, and it doesn't blink; it's always on the lookout for anomalies and potential issues to ensure your network runs seamlessly.
What are the challenges in traditional network management?
Before we dive deeper into AIOps, let's briefly explore the hurdles faced in traditional network management. Managing a network can be like juggling a dozen balls simultaneously. And if your organisation has distributed sites, this challenge can be magnified.
Networks are becoming increasingly complex, with more devices, data, and applications. Often, businesses have taken these tools on organically, resulting in siloed solutions and a lack of interoperability. Attempting to handle this network complexity manually is akin to tackling an intricate puzzle without the time or resources to solve it. As it is tricky to predict potential problems, these traditional methods often have to rely on reactive troubleshooting when they do arise. Frequently, the outcome of this approach is increased downtime and frustrated users.
What role can AIOps take in today’s network management?
Here's where AIOps steps in as the knight in shining armour. It proactively identifies issues, bottlenecks, and potential threats before they escalate into full-blown problems. AIOps continuously learns from your network's data and adapts to its unique patterns and behaviours.
When adopted as part of a managed network service solution, it enhances service delivery in many ways. For example, it can provide alerts about a potential network bottleneck, enabling action before it affects your organisation's operations. It can also deliver notifications of suspected security threats that have been neutralised before they could breach your organisation's defences. This is the power of AIOps.
By predicting and preventing issues, it facilitates managed network service providers, like Hughes Europe, in optimising your network performance, reducing downtime and protecting your network from cyber-attacks. These capabilities are a game-changer for organisations with distributed sites, ensuring that every location operates at its best and can communicate seamlessly with its counterparts.
What are the benefits of AIOps for enterprises?
So, we've looked at what AIOps can do, but how can its capabilities be leveraged by your managed network service provider to deliver tangible benefits for your organisation?
AIOps isn't a passing trend; it's a significant strategic advantage. Hughes Europe is incorporating intelligence, such as AIOps, into our solutions to deliver significant benefits for your organisation. These include:
Proactive issue resolution and security
AIOps continuously monitors network performance and identifies potential issues and security threats in real-time. This proactive approach means that we can address problems and prevent cyberattacks before they impact your operations, translating to fewer network disruptions, increased uptime, and improved service reliability.
Predictive maintenance
AIOps can predict when your network components or equipment are likely to falter based on historical data and patterns. With this information, we can schedule maintenance or replacement before a critical failure occurs, minimising downtime and ensuring that your network continues to run smoothly.
Efficient resource allocation
AIOps optimises resource allocation by analysing usage patterns and traffic trends. This capability helps us ensure that you have the right amount of bandwidth and resources when and where required for optimum user experience.
Enhanced scalability
AIOps allows us to scale network resources up or down seamlessly based on your evolving needs. As your organisation grows or requires additional capacity for special projects, AIOps facilitates us in adapting your network solution quickly and efficiently to accommodate these changes.
Cost savings
By reducing downtime, optimising resources, and preventing costly security incidents, AIOps enables us to deliver significant cost savings for your organisation. These cost savings and freed up resources can be redirected towards strategic initiatives rather than firefighting the impact of network issues.
What is the future for AIOps and network management?
AIOps is already disrupting the way networks are managed for the better. However, its evolution will continue, promising exciting developments in the future. For example:
AI-powered predictive maintenance and self-healing
AIOps will become even better at predicting and preventing network issues, using self-healing to minimise the impact of any problems that have occurred.
Increased automation
Using machine learning, AIOps will evolve and become more adept at its functions. Therefore, we can expect it to automate an even wider range of network management tasks.
Improved security
As cybercrime gets more prevalent and advanced, AIOps' role in enhancing network security will become ever more critical. As it learns and improves, it will become increasingly able to detect and tackle these sophisticated threats in real time.
At Hughes Europe, we recognise the incredible advantages AIOps adds to our managed network services. Its innovation is transforming network management from a reactive, time-consuming task into a proactive, efficient process that enhances the service we can provide our customers.
By leveraging intelligent solutions, such as AIOps, across an increasing number of our network services and tools, we can ensure our managed network solutions continue to deliver the best possible network performance, security, reliability and scalability for your business.
To learn more, please get in touch with our team.