Network Digital Transformation: A lot to digest
Hi, I’m Darryl Whitlock with Fujitsu Systems Integration Practice, and I’m here to start an open dialogue about microapps and how they can power your network transformation.
There’s an old joke that goes something like this.
Question: how do you eat an elephant? Or in our case, how do you eat the network transformation elephant?
In either case, the answer is: one leg at a time.
That’s because network transformation and its potential benefits can seem like the elephant in the room: impossible to ignore and too big to handle, not to mention expensive to feed.
Top-down approaches leave you paying for more than you need
Many network operators think the only way to begin brownfield network automation is a pricey, top-down approach based on new platforms and packaged software with long development and integration cycles. And just like an elephant, packaged software is much more than you really need, leaving you paying for features you don’t use.
It’s hard to make a business case for network transformation with this combination of software and implementation costs. The elephant will trample your budget long before you see the benefits.
Microapps let you do network transformation one step at a time
At Fujitsu, we see the network transformation problem differently. We found that you can save a ton of money and time using targeted microapps to connect and automate high-impact tasks.
Basically, instead of trying to do it all at once, you automate a network in the same way you eat an elephant: one leg at a time.
What are microapps?
Microapps are standalone, single-function modules that can be developed rapidly to selectively automate specific processes. Because they’re small and containerized, microapps can be developed and implemented quickly and cost effectively. Overall, they’re a very efficient way of reducing specific, labor-intensive tasks and eliminating redundant oversight, review cycles, and manual intervention.
Tasks and processes like automating logins across several enterprise applications or plugging security gaps on old legacy platforms. These and many more lend themselves to network transformation using targeted microapps.
Work with a qualified expert
But just like your elephant, network transformation and microapps are best handled, at least initially, with the help of an expert. So here are five things to consider when choosing a microapp developer:
- Deep knowledge of networking and operations
- A proven track record of relationships with tier one operators.
- An agile, cloud-native platform and capabilities
- Global leadership in AI and ML
- Multivendor integration and customization services and capabilities
As network digital transformation experts, we’ll work with you to identify the right parts of the elephant to automate. We’d be excited to share more information and some of our success stories, so we hope you reach out and keep this open dialogue going.