It almost seems like ancient history at this point, but literally less than five years ago, i.e., just after the iPhone (News - Alert) and before the iPad, while the role of enterprise IT was extremely challenging, it was not nearly as complicated as it is now. As we are all sometime gleefully and often times painfully aware, the perfect storm of bring your own device (BYOD), virtualization and the cloud, has fundamentally changed not just the security landscape inside enterprises as the vectors of vulnerability have exploded but also the role of IT and the way in which it can and must support business objectives and end user requirements.

Back in those “good old days,” the role of the enterprise network could be summed up in two words: Connect and Protect. A network had to connect corporate information and applications to employees and partners, and protect that information from being accessed by unauthorized individuals.

IT used to set and enforce the rules. They literally had visibility and control of all things related to network access and security, including the kinds of applications and devices that were connected to the network. They picked the desktops, the laptops, the business apps and even the phones individuals were allowed to use and oversaw how they were setup and maintained. IT was truly “master of its domain.”

To use a somewhat cliché term, “That was then and this is now!” Today's employees:

• Pick their own devices and often own them
• Select the apps they want to use for communications and data sharing, including from third-party public cloud-based providers and frequently from unauthorized app stores
• Work for anywhere and at any time

Companies want and need their employees to be always and all ways available: to have the physical and virtual tools they need to be productive when, where and how they need them. Balancing these user needs with the enormous responsibilities of protecting enterprise physical and digital assets is why being an IT executive has become an increasingly complicated task, especially given the accelerating speed at which the digital world is changing. 

IT must heed the message from upper management to do more with less; align better with business needs; provide enhanced risk management capabilities that are proactive as well as reactive and are not only about cyber threats but also involve compliance and corporate governance issues; and regain the trust of end users who view IT as too slow in accommodating rapidly changing needs. 

In short, IT departments now have to connect and protect a dynamic network environment they no longer control.

In looking at this increasingly complex management environment, especially given the growing importance of mobility management in the context of overall enterprise network management, advanced information technology infrastructure solutions provider AdvizeX Technologies sees six critical areas of mobility and management for enterprise networks that should be addressed in a solution that can give IT peace of mind, users the tools they need, and C-levels the operational excellence and lowered risk exposure they demand. The critical areas are:

• Policy and Compliance
• Network Security
• Cloud-Based Application Delivery  
• Mobile Device Management (MDM)
• Mobile Device Data and File Synchronization
• Mobile Device Wireless Network Infrastructure

If your organization is struggling to address the challenges cited above, no matter if you are early in the process of upgrading capabilities or are even well along, you are invited to join me and Paul Timmerman, vice president of technology solutions, AdvizeX Technologies for an insightful webinar,

NetWork Smarter with HP, VMware and AdvizeX, to be held Tuesday, December 10, 2013 10:00 AM EST / 7:00 AM PST. As the title says, if you are using HP and VMware in your organization, AdvizeX can assist you in coping with the complexities the increased reliance on mobility is placing on your ability to provide the protection and flexibility our rapidly changing world is demanding.