By Nimeshkumar Patel
What the past few years demonstrated more than anything is the importance of viable network infrastructures for the world. With COVID-19, hurricane Ida, and the SolarWinds attack to name a few examples, disruptions are prevalent and are getting more unpredictable. These incidents have increased the visibility of weaknesses in worldwide network infrastructures, causing a flurry of adaptation efforts among businesses, governments, and industries.
As crises around the world become more common, prioritizing resilient networks is no longer simply a suggested practice—it’s a way to survive. Architects of networks must currently include new approaches and technologies in their designs to create resilient systems capable of sustaining operations during disruptions. In this article, we’ll evaluate the essential learnings from recent world events and look into ways to future-proof network designs to stand firm through any adversity.
How Current Disruptions Have Affected Network Infrastructure.
1. The COVID-19 Pandemic
Recently, COVID-19 was one of the biggest disruptions to network infrastructures around the globe. Internet usage around the world rose between 30% and 50% at the onset of the breakout due to remote working, online classes, and virtual medical services as observed by Akamai.
A survey by the World Economic Forum also revealed that forty per cent of rural households in the United States began struggling with connectivity during the pandemic. Telemedicine services also rallied in the healthcare sector as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 154% telehealth visits a week to the one in the last week of March 2019.
2. Hurricane Ida (2021)
There was another significant event in August 2021 when Hurricane Ida hit the U.S. Gulf Coast where many organizations experienced network disruptions and the vulnerability of the network infrastructure. With the impact of power outages on millions, there were major network disruptions too. In the hours after the storm, telecommunications companies noted that 65% of cell sites were not working in Louisiana. Due to the damage that was caused to the infrastructure, everyone including local businesses, emergency crews & hospitals struggled.
3. SolarWinds Cyberattack (2020)
Mostly, the biggest attack that was accomplished on the solar winds in the year 2020 unveiled the world networks to cyber threats. Microsoft only released a report to reveal that over 18,000 organizations’ security has been affected by cyber threats. The hack proved that a lone vulnerability within software supply chains might create significant interruptions throughout several industries.
This event pointed out the importance of powerful cybersecurity components in designing networks. It showed that resilience extends further than physical assets to include digital threats. In the world, the capability of preventing, detecting, and responding to cyberattacks has gained paramount importance for ensuring operational continuity.
Key Lessons in Network Resilience
To create resilient systems, network architects must focus on four key areas:
1. Scalability
Cisco reports that global internet traffic rose globally by 30% in 2020, while user traffic for cloud services Zoom surged by 2900%. This increase in demand emphasized the need for a scalable infrastructure that can adapt to changes in requirements. As per Gartner, the solution for businesses to dynamically scale their network resources is cloud computing. Spending on cloud infrastructure rose by 37% in 2020.
2. Redundancy and Failover Mechanisms
The Hurricane Ida event and the SolarWinds cyberattack reveal that network system architecture must possess critical resilience. Regions across Hurricane Ida were without internet access for several days. An absent redundancy in power grids, data centers, or communications, placed communities at risk.
To stop a single point of failure from causing a breakdown of the entire network, architects have to design failover mechanisms alongside redundant systems. A new trend is the shift towards multi-cloud strategies, which sees companies using multiple cloud providers to maintain uninterrupted service availability. Quantities from Flexera reveal that 92% of enterprises currently have a multi-cloud strategy, highlighting the vital importance of redundancy in the modern business landscape.
3. Cybersecurity as a Priority
Network architects received a wake-up call from the SolarWinds breach concerning the critical requirement for comprehensive cybersecurity strategies. The more connections the system has, the higher the risks that threaten the system. In its report, Cybersecurity Ventures is forecasting that cybercrime will be $10.5 trillion globally by the year 2025. This points out the immediate need for robust security models that protect networks from developing threats.
Architects have to highlight zero-trust security architectures that indisputably verify every user and device that connects to the network. The model helps to lower the risk of unauthorized access.
4. Automation and AI Integration
As noted by Cisco in their Annual Internet Report, the number of connected devices is expected to hit 29.3 billion by 2023, stressing the requirement for automation in network design. Automated systems can spot performance concerns and redesign traffic in the wake of an outage, which helps lessen downtime and boost network robustness. Automation was key throughout the pandemic when limited human involvement was due to lockdowns and staff working remotely.
Future-Proofing Networks
To future-proof networks against the next global disruption—whether a pandemic, cyberattack, or natural disaster—architects must consider several strategies:
Edge Computing: Processing data at the edge decreases latency and improves operational performance, according to edge computing. It is critically important, particularly for IoT networks, where quick data processing is essential for real-time applications.
5G Integration: Since the introduction of 5G networks, the potential for improved latency and enhanced high-speed connections will facilitate better processing of larger data volumes. With Ericsson’s prediction of 1 billion 5G subscriptions by December 2022, architects need to create infrastructures capable of fully exploiting this technology.
Sustainable Networking: Future network design will be strongly influenced by sustainability. The effort to promote international environmental objectives requires that network architects make energy-efficient technology and renewable energy harvesting a priority in the creation of green infrastructure.
Our understanding of resilient networks is heightened by the consequences of recent global situations, including the pandemic, cyberattacks, and natural disasters. These situations provoke the challenges necessary for identifying foundational infrastructure that is scalable and secure, along with its ability to endure shocks. Architects, in their design of the next generation of networks, must fuse automation, cloud technologies, cybersecurity, and sustainability to futureproof systems against any potential disruptions ahead.
Creating robust networks has become necessary to ensure that organizations, governments, and people can succeed in an ever more volatile world.
(The author is the senior network engineer. Views are personal)
