What’s next in networking? Read on about NGN

AT&T Business helps businesses like yours determine which evolving technologies can improve key capabilities, including your key network operations and potential business performance. We work hard to identify your challenges, and we recommend the right approaches to help you meet and exceed your priorities.

That’s why we created a white paper entitled “Next Generation Network Dimensions.” It’s your in-depth guide to implementing a more efficient, highly secure architecture based on network virtualization technologies such as Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). By consolidating critical network functions, Next Generation Network (NGN) provides you with more control over key aspects of your business that can boost efficiencies and prepare your business for the future.

In Part III of our white paper, we covered aspects of NGN that pertain to customer considerations, including your customers’ locations, the network sites required to support them, and the regulatory policies that might affect your businesses operations. In the final installment of our series, we examine the planning and management implications of NGN. Transitioning to a new network architecture can be a major undertaking—we provide the guidance to help make the change as smooth as possible.

Working with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can improve the efficiency of your network transition. We cover how those relationships can shape your planning and influence operations. Whether you work with an inter-provider who will set up the NGN network and hand it off to a support provider, or an intra-provider who will maintain the network through its entire lifecycle, we outline what to look for to help you achieve a successful transition to your new network.

Another factor influencing network transitions is NGN’s ability to provision diverse circuit types into the same equipment. Asking an MSP to provision various Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity types may result in overlapping delivery timelines and could impact your operational readiness. To avoid unexpected delays and costs, your business will need to carefully schedule the delivery of WAN circuits to coincide with transport availability.

Here are a few additional questions to ask MSPs about your NGN transition that are covered in part IV of our whitepaper:

1. How will the NGN MSP ensure continued connectivity between migrated and unmigrated sites during the transition?
2. Does the provider have an appropriate staging and shipping infrastructure available to ensure that new hardware arrives on time and is ready for installation when you are ready?
3. Can the MSP  ensure the availability of personnel to perform the transitions at each site?

Read Part IV of Next Generation Network Dimensions for more questions to consider when planning to implement your NGN solution. We’re here to help! And to learn more about how AT&T Business can help your business build a tailored network solution, visit www.att.com/networkservices or call 877-219-3898.