Intelligent network is arriving fast and will transform role of the CIO

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: The enterprise network is being bombarded. According to Ovum, the number of smartphones in use will exceed 600 million in 2015, making the intelligent network more relevant than ever.

In a new report, the technology analyst firm reveals how a dynamic network environment can enable the CIO to face the challenges of delivering efficient and effective IT in a world where content and access within the enterprise are being democratized.

“In today’s organisation, the CIO has the hardest job,” says David Molony, principal analyst at Ovum and author of the report. “The pressure to do more with less has never been greater, both from within lines of business and from end users, and the evolution of technology will only add to the pressure on increasingly burdened CIOs.”

The growing number of devices and sources of content mean that the enterprise network is being given a strenuous workout. When the connected world arrives, and many physical objects are digitally enabled as communications nodes, the enterprise network will play an even more critical role.

“Provisioning new capacity to meet extra demand is only the first of many tasks for today’s CIO,” says Molony. “The rise of bring your own device (BYOD) – employees using their own devices to connect to corporate resources – is also bringing a new wave of security and cost pressures.”

The intelligent network will meet these challenges head-on, addressing mixed end-user and customer requirements. It will manage traffic effectively, and offer CIOs a greater range of billing, payment, and cost management tools than ever before. The intelligent network will also promote on-demand distribution and consumption, and anticipate future requirements.

“With the intelligent network, IT will become decentralized, allowing the CIO to focus on innovation and aligning IT capabilities with business and user requirements to a greater degree than has previously been possible,” concludes Molony.