Today’s Dynamic Networks Need a Converged Approach

… hybrid infrastructure, flexibility and performance.

Very few companies are cloud-only or only have a data center, so that means it has hybrid IT. Even if your customer is a very cloud-focused company, it still has endpoints, especially with remote work today, and those endpoints are the network. It needs to invest in solutions that allow you the flexibility to make decisions as needed over time. Partners are wrestling with these things internally, but they can also provide their customers better offerings by incorporating this kind of convergence.

Security-driven networking is also flexible. You never know when the next big shift will happen, and you need to build flexibility into your infrastructure so you’re able to adapt.

And then there’s the matter of performance. Customers expect quick and effective solutions, which means security to match the speed of the network. And that’s regardless of how factors like remote work and 5G affect it; customers want, and should receive, the speed they need.

Driving Security

To call today’s networks dynamic barely scratches the surface in terms of describing the speed and complexity organizations must deal with. The modern network is multiedged, and the perimeter is nearly nonexistent. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of this year’s many shifts, and so must channel partners as they seek to keep their clients secure. The pandemic and other forces have made hybrid IT a reality for most, if not all, organizations. These rapid changes have rendered many traditional security solutions incapable of fulfilling their duty. From the ashes of the old approaches comes the convergence of security and networking, which is both more effective and offers significant opportunities for partners.

Jon Bove is the vice president of channel sales at Fortinet. He and his team are responsible for strategizing, promoting and driving the channel sales strategy for partners in the U.S. A 17-year veteran of the technology industry, Bove has held progressively responsible sales, sales leadership and channel leadership positions. Follow @Fortinet on Twitter or Bove on LinkedIn.