While IT has big WAN challenges, including navigating a migration to MPLS and providing enough bandwidth at current spending levels, the biggest WAN game changers may be the cloud, both public and private.

While just 31% of more than 300 business technology pros surveyed by  InformationWeek Reports  have thus far altered their WAN strategies due to adoption of public cloud services, private and hybrid cloud will have a significant impact when deciding whether to keep the traditional hub-and-spoke design, provision business-class Internet links at some or all branch sites, or some combination of the two.

Findings: 

• 69% expect demand for WAN bandwidth to increase significantly (15%) or somewhat (54%) in the coming 12 to 24 months.
• 63% have no plans to deploy Cisco’s OTV technology.
• 44% of organizations that would like to upgrade WAN connectivity but are unable to do so cite expense as the biggest factor preventing it.
• 29% say their organizations are less vulnerable to WAN-based attacks and security breaches compared with a year ago.

“Ethernet is moving to take over the WAN, the same way it did the data center,” says Lorna Garey, content director of InformationWeek Reports. “While 69% still have T1/E1/BRI circuits in use, Carrier Ethernet is hot on ISDN’s trail with 61% adoption.”

Related Stories:

• Data growth rate expanding, increasing storage needs (infographic)
• Rush to the cloud could rain on some company plans
• Survey says: many companies not fully using their cloud infrastructure
• Most IT pros view social media sites as a security risk
• Cloud storage vendors have some hurdles to leap

© 2012, TechJournal. All rights reserved.

Tags: ethernet, hybrid cloud services, InformationWeek Reports, private, public, WAN