LAN to LAN Links in the Cloud Migration Scenario

We live in a time when more and more companies are migrating their respective applications to the cloud.

This is due, among other reasons, to the fact that the cloud provides several important mechanisms for both elasticity and maintenance-related aspects.

The migration of employees to the home-office work model certainly leads to greater adoption of cloud services because in this model, users can be working from anywhere, all that is needed is a stable Internet connection.

Given this current situation, is it still worth maintaining or contracting LAN to LAN data links?

Is it feasible to cancel existing LAN to LAN data links and focus solely on transitioning services to the cloud, with users connecting via the Internet?

This is the topic which we will address in this article.

Initially, let’s briefly understand a little more about where each scenario applies:

1) LAN to LAN links – these links are intended to interconnect specific locations. Typically, these links are used to connect headquarter and branch offices, as well as to establish voice over IP calls.

2) Public Cloud – The public cloud is intended to connect users to applications, platforms or infrastructure regardless of the geographic location where they are located. With this, users will be able to connect to the respective services via the Internet.

Now that we have briefly seen where each scenario applies, it is important to understand that the decision to maintain data links or migrate all services to the cloud, not only impacts on a technical architectural issue, but it can also mean a change in costs.

There may be cases where companies decide to keep resources hosted in the public cloud as well as other scenarios, where it is still necessary to use links to certain locations.

However, how do you know which option best fits your company?

Here are some points that will help your company with this question.

SCENARIOS ANALYSIS

Where are the applications used by your company hosted?

This point is fundamental for your company to assess whether it makes sense to maintain LAN to LAN links. Are the applications hosted on physical servers on-premises, or are they already in the cloud? How do users access such applications? Is VPN or some other form of secure remote access used?

Highly critical applications

Depending on the application used in the company or even its importance, respectively, migrating to the cloud may not be the best option, being more suitable to use LAN to LAN links in a private network.

Existence of applications that cannot be migrated

In some cases, there may be applications that need to be integrated through a private network for various reasons, such as security, for example. And for this reason, private LAN to LAN links may be more suitable for these scenarios.

Means of communication used by the company

Do users in the company use communication based on a cloud application, or do they use some solution installed locally in the company’s data center?

In addition to these and other points, it is essential that the company has at hand all the technical information that justifies any decision-making. It is precisely on this topic that many companies may find it difficult not only to execute an action, but also to plan it correctly.

With this in mind, let’s consider below some main difficulties encountered by companies to plan their respective actions and some of the solutions that can be adopted:

CHALLENGES TO BE OVERCOME

Lack of tools that bring the necessary information 

It is very common for companies to end up contracting network resources in addition to those needed for their respective environment. This, in addition to generating financial waste for the company, undoubtedly makes any planning aimed at a new action difficult.

In this case, it is essential that your company has a solution that allows you to deliver information through accurate data on the actual consumption of data links. This will not only allow you to have an overview of whether waste is occurring, but will also assist in any planning.

Lack of technical training 

Technology evolves rapidly in a very short span of time. This causes, in several companies, considerable difficulty in keeping up with technological developments.

For this reason, it is essential that your company invests in training and technical qualifications. This will ensure a technological update for its entire technical team, enabling it to assess new technological scenarios, according to the company’s own needs.

It is important to note that the migration to the cloud does not necessarily entail the exclusion of the need for the company to have LAN to LAN links. However, it is essential for any company to always assess current needs, with their respective costs.

Thus, for example, if the transition to the cloud can lead to resource savings, it is essential that the company can be aware of, as well as evaluate all possible scenarios, before deciding.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

As we have seen throughout this article, each company may have a specific particular need, so before carrying out any action, a previous study and a well-structured and organized action plan is essential.

In this sense, there are no doubts about the importance of investing in network management. In this manner, it is perceptible that these good practices bring not only benefits for the visibility of the infrastructure, but also a way of guaranteeing crucial information for the governance of the network.

Thinking about it,  Telcomanager, leader in Latin America in the sector of software for network management, since 2002 in the market with a unique and innovative methodology, makes available smart solutions for the monitoring of data for providing complete visibility to the infrastructure of the client, allowing your Company to accompany the main aspects of your network.

Posted on 03/04/2022