The data network was once an IT resource to which few business leaders paid attention. Most people simply considered the network to be the “plumbing” of a company and little else. That opinion has been changing, because the network has rapidly increased in importance as digital transformation has taken hold in the business world.
The building blocks of digital are cloud computing, mobility, internet of things and artificial intelligence, all of which are network-centric. This means as business becomes more digital, the network increases in strategic value. At the same time, we have seen the rise of new and emerging applications and technologies, from data analytics to virtual and augmented reality, automated vehicles and edge computing.