What does it take to manage multiple local internet vendors globally?
Building and running a secure and robust global network comes with its own challenges, especially when you need internet access in exotic places, like an oil rig off the coast of Colombia, a production plant in the heart of Africa, or somewhere in Mainland China. Not only that. These challenges need to be put in perspective, making sure you get what your business needs:
Business-ready
- Your network is a key enabler for the growth and transformation of your business. This is why it’s crucial to build a flexible and dynamic network that follows the evolving requirements of the business and enables the adoption of new technologies, as well as the roll-out of new initiatives, scalability, and the pursuit of new opportunities.
Technology-ready
- Companies adopt new technologies constantly to achieve operational efficiencies, reduce costs, or drive agility. Is your global network ready to support your new global SD-WAN and SASE overlay? Is your access optimized for your cloud applications? Is it future-ready?With that in mind, in the process of sourcing and managing your global internet access, you will come across the reality of doing it yourself.
Connecting your HQ with its local branches and people working from around the world, and to the cloud, requires much more than getting access from one global carrier. Especially as you transition to internet connections, a much better fit for newer cloud applications or as an underlay for your software-defined networks (SD-WAN).
In this journey, you will stumble upon several “gaps” – four of which we have identified in this article:
Gap #1: the internet coverage gap
You want to leverage local internet for your enterprise network. Surprise: high-speed broadband access is not available at many locations your network must support. For example, in large parts of Brazil, Eastern Europe, or even in rural US, internet access is subpar or non-existent.
Gap #2: the language gap
For business continuity reasons, you only want to deal with the highest-quality access providers. How do you find your way in far-away markets that present you with languages you don’t speak and scripts you can’t read? More often than not, the access provider that matches your local requirements won’t speak English.
Gap #3: the currency gap
You want to keep your business as simple as possible and consolidate your costs and expenses in a few major currencies to keep your finance team happy. Dealing with many currencies, local or regional invoicing, and tax regimes your local networking partners bring about is a real pain.
Gap #4: the lead-time gap
You need to move quickly to keep your customers happy and your competitors behind you. Your network must be able to follow your business needs. In many countries, carriers and incumbent access providers are still quite bureaucratic and slow to respond. Your pace is not theirs. How much are you willing to chase them?
Enterprises tend to debate between two choices: creating the network themselves, with all the challenges and “gaps” associated with this adventure. Or outsource it to a carrier or an MSP with a global reach and a one-size-fits-all offering that doesn’t necessarily meet what you really need. You get what they want to sell.
Fortunately, there is a third, more clever and flexible way.
At GNX, we pride ourselves on being carrier-neutral and solution-agnostic. It’s not about what we sell but what your company needs. Then, with your requirements in mind, we can design an internet access solution – public, private, or customized -, source the providers, manage them, and support your global connectivity along your entire journey.
In short, we take the gap, close it, and remove the pain and global network challenges. Talk to our experts to learn more.
