Becoming a digital organisation requires a host of technological updates, as well as the implementation of modern methodologies, processes and best practices. Tangent Solutions provides a vast scope of these digital requirements, including IT networking infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud solutions, intelligent automation, and software development.
As a business moves along with its digital evolution, a common debate among stakeholders is around the initial cost outlay regarding IT infrastructure. As one of the first and most specialised Cisco Meraki partners in Africa, Tangent Solutions works with businesses to implement well-designed and integrated cloud-managed IT networking infrastructure. The aim is to assist organisations in reducing their Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), underpinned by Cisco Meraki’s IT networking infrastructure and connectivity solutions.
Traditional vs Modern Networking Infrastructure in TCO
As the landscape of businesses evolves, so too must the IT networking infrastructure, including the management thereof. Legacy technology often provides minimal differentiating features between products and is perceived as a capital expense, negating the long term requirements of operational costs.
In contrast, modern networking requires a shift in how businesses acquire infrastructure. This shift focusses on a more holistic approach to TCO = Capital Expenses (CapEx) + Operational Expenses (OpEx).
A Traditional View of TCO | Decision makers in organisations often only consider the upfront hardware and infrastructure costs and exclude the long-term operational expenses, which gives a skewed TCO. The initial configuration of a network, coupled with ongoing complexities, troubleshooting, security, and management, can add up to substantial operating costs each year.
The Modern View of TCO | Utilising Software-Defined Networking (SDN) changes the modern networking landscape by giving real-time overview of the network environment. The advantage of SDN allows businesses to proactively manage their network, resulting in a notable reduction in operating costs. In fact, businesses are reporting up to 90% savings in their OpEx, thus reducing their TCO.
The Modern IT Networking Infrastructure
Business and technology requirements evolve rapidly, as such, agility, scalability, management, security and ease of use, should be standard features in networking infrastructure. It is these characteristics that define modern IT networking.
Cisco Meraki networking infrastructure products are 100% cloud-managed, with fully integrated networking and security features, all monitored through a single dashboard. The Meraki dashboard displays all the devices within a network, allowing users to implement changes in a simple, easy-to-use format. This modern simplification of network management, along with the access to real-time visibility, enables businesses to pinpoint issues, thus lowering the time spent on troubleshooting. Additionally, gather vital data and analytics in order to enhance user and network performance.
The Role of Switching in Modern Networking Cost Savings
Switches are the foundation of any business network infrastructure. They serve as an intermediary to share information and communicate between all devices.
In the Cisco Meraki networking stack, switches enable a variety of features, ultimately leading to cost savings, when coupled with a cloud-managed dashboard and Software-Defined Networking.
Staging and Deployment
- Zero touch provisioning and automatic cloud updates to reduce complexity in deployment
- Enabling 60-80% cost reduction
Network Monitoring & Maintenance
- Visibility & alerts, PoE reporting, port scheduling, as well as remote cable testing, allows for offsite monitoring and management
- Average cost savings of 40-60%
Support
- Remote live tools allows for ongoing support within the Meraki Dashboard
- Proactive visibility & alerts on rouge DHCP servers and networking loops
- Average cost saving of 60%
Revision Management
- Save time with reporting and automatic or scheduled cloud updates
- Average cost saving of 60%
Security
- Get visibility & alerts for internal and external threats
Energy Consumption
- Enable a reduction in power consumption with PoE consumption reporting & port scheduling via disabling unused devices after hours
- Average cost saving of 60%
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