Networks are the frameworks that support nearly all global connectivity, both at an enterprise and personal level.Â
As technological innovations like the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and edge computing continue to grow in their use cases, so too does the overall capacity and sophistication of networking.Â
Read on to learn all about the networking market and how networking can be used to improve several aspects of corporate connectivity:
A Closer Look at the Networking Market
The networking market
Networking is a broad category that includes several submarkets, like the software-defined networking (SDN) market and secure access service edge (SASE) as well as the more traditional networking market based on hardware, such as switches.Â
It’s also important to note that networking use cases should be divided into enterprise networking and consumer networking categories. Enterprise networking architecture, such as private 5G and SDN, is paid for and maintained by a company for their business needs with the help of vendors. Consumer networking is offered by a provider to individuals and households.Â
The enterprise networking market reached about $50.6 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow to $64.6 billion by 2024, according to a report by Grand View Research.
Networking components
Because there are so many different types of networks and networking strategies, the components that make up each networking use case differ.Â
However, most networking setups include several of the following components:
- Network nodes: points of communication, redistribution, and delivery of data that work closely with the network’s protocol instructions.
- Network links: the physical and wireless connectors among network nodes.
- Network overlays: particularly in an SDN or virtual network, the virtual layers allow separate networking actions to run on top of each other.
- Switches: a traditional piece of hardware that connects network devices and their data through packet switching.
- Routers: similar to switches but on a larger scale, routers use data packet forwarding to connect different networks and their information to each other.
- Network protocols: the guidebook that sets rules for how data can be transmitted throughout the network.
- Network topology: the layout or map that shows how nodes and links are connected on a network.
Learn more: Guide to Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)
Benefits of networking
LAN and WAN flexibility
Two common types of networks are the local area network (LAN) and the wide-area network (WAN). LANs help organizations and their users work together through common protocols and shared connectivity in a limited area. WANs help users around the globe work together on the same network without experiencing major delays, due to high-speed broadband connectivity.
Cloud and legacy app management
Application performance management and updates are much easier when all tools can be reviewed at once. With network infrastructure and tools like dashboards, network administrators and other tech team members can use their networking resources to manage important enterprise apps for their teams.
Data security
Because of the greater data visibility that networking tools offer to team leads, they can easily review and address security problems across network devices and users. Many networking companies also offer security and compliance-specific solutions that integrate with their networking products.
More on network security: Network Security Market
Enterprise-wide collaboration
Rather than working in silos, networks make it possible for users to share their projects and other company resources virtually.
Performance and troubleshooting
Network management and monitoring tools make it possible for tech professionals to review enterprise resources and assess problems before they grow.
Networking use cases
“NSX was great for a use case where we needed a few host servers to run small-to-medium applications for a health care authority. It was easy to design and implement within an on-premise data center … It’s easy to learn the concepts around software-defined networking with NSX, the new vSphere platform, and other vRealise Operations Management Suite with flexible connectors to the existing traditional service management and operations-related product and services. The ability to design network segregation between different applications was the best for our organization in order to granularly control data center traffic across our IT landscape.” -solution architect in the finance and health care industries, review of VMware NSX Data Center
“As part of our data center refresh project, we had to refresh our fleet of top-of-rack switches across two data centers from HPE to Arista. This solution was part of a longer-term strategy of refreshing the core switches stack from Cisco Nexus to Arista spine and leaf technology. As a result, rather than having multiple vendor capabilities or inconsistencies in two data centers, we limit to one vendor and keep the overall manageability simple. Plus, this introduced the entire team to automation by automating switch deployment using the Cloudvision tool. The overall deployment was deemed as one of the smoothest and most efficient migration activities ever experienced by the organization, starting from tender process to operational handover.” -senior consultant in the services industry, review of Arista Switches
Networking providers
The networking market is saturated with a variety of holistic, hardware, and software solutions.Â
Some of the top providers in the networking market are listed below:
- Cisco
- Arista
- Juniper
- NETGEAR
- VMware
- HPE
- Alcatel-Lucent
- Extreme Networks
- Dell Technologies
- Broadcom
Read next: Top 10 Enterprise Networking Companies
