A recent study from Deloitte highlighted how companies with higher digital maturity are experiencing better financial performance than the average. These are organizations approaching network design with a mindset of building a simple, fast, and secure network underpinned by automation. Forrester explained that up until the pandemic, only 15% of companies prioritized digital transformation, putting the 85% not embracing the cloud era behind the 8-ball.

At the heart of every digital transformation initiative is the network. From switches and routers to network fabric and the cloud, each component plays a pivotal role in enabling expected digital transformation results.

Traditionally, the network has been viewed as a cost center, but it’s time to reframe the narrative. Healthcare organizations, for instance, are looking to improve patient outcomes. However, networking protocols and architecture haven’t evolved to support this goal.

Many networks today have been cobbled together with physical servers to support new technologies and applications.

As a result, traditional networks are static, complex, difficult to change, require off-hour maintenance, and lack visibility – to the point that tracking down a connectivity issue can start to feel like finding a needle in a haystack. So, what does a more modern network approach look like? Simple, agile, secure, and automated. Fabric networking delivers on these demands by optimizing network performance, streamlining processes, and reducing the risk of human error across multiple data centers, creating a resilient foundation for digital transformation efforts.

With a cloud fabric network, organizations achieve a single pane of glass management with an in-depth analytical view of applications, devices, and the overall health of the network

In addition, traditional networks have become a technology bottleneck. Maintenance windows and long planning cycles make it challenging for IT to be responsive to business objectives. With Extreme Fabric Connect, however, service enablement is only at the source and destination, creating data center excellence that establishes the shortest path bridging and the most efficient path for service delivery.

It is important, especially for healthcare organizations to be able to efficiently and securely onboard devices. With the right fabric infrastructure, they can create a plug and play environment. Extreme Networks enables zero touch onboarding and automation that positively impacts the bottom line. For instance, OSF HealthCare chose to move to a more modern networking environment with Extreme they experienced 30% capital replacement savings, 60% maintenance reduction enhanced security, guaranteed connectivity, and more.