A new report released by Dimension Data, the South Africa based ICT services and solutions provider, has predicted that by 2018, the cost of networks will be around half of its current cost.
The company announced the official release of the 2013 Network Barometer Report, which says smaller capital would be needed to roll out networks.
“They will require a smaller capital investment to roll out, and will be cheaper to operate because they’ll be easier to manage, provide unified access, and require less power and cooling,” Dimension Data said.
One of the reasons identified as responsible for the reduction is the increasing pressure on organisations to create bring your own device (BYOD) ready environments.
“Today, most campus networks comprise around 80 per cent wired ports serving individual users, and 20 per cent WLAN ports supporting multiple users.
“However, there’s a growing swell of users across the globe pushing organisations to create ‘bring your own device’ ready environments, and usher in the enterprise mobility era that will inevitably change the structure of networks.”
Describing today’s users, Raoul Tecala, Dimension Data’s business development director for network integration, said the focus is seamless accessibility and ease of movement.
Tecala said: “When comparing a traditional wired network deployment supporting 100 users to a wireless network of the same size, the reduction in physical hardware – LAN switches, discrete wireless LAN controller and cabling – makes the wireless network up to 50 per cent less expensive. In addition to the capital savings, the operation and management of this user environment is also reduced.
“In our opinion, these cost savings add to the well documented benefits of a mobile workforce and will drive enterprise mobility adoption at an ever increasing rate.”
