Everything You Need To Know About Distributed Enterprise

What Are Distributed Enterprises?

The modern interpretation of a distributed enterprise is a central office space with localized IT staff and networking facilities. This definition also includes several other remote or branch sites that have few or no IT staff. Remote departments and branches usually have similar needs to centralized offices but with varying degrees of scalability.

A distributed enterprise that has a considerable remote hybrid office or workforce generally reproduces the central office’s platform stack on a considerably smaller scale. As businesses evolve, prosper, and reach new markets, it’s essential to introduce a presence where customers are located. Distributed enterprise strategies evaluate cost and complexity and approximate them against growth potential.

Distributed Enterprise Strategy

Distributed enterprise strategies should include the following:

Enterprise-Grade Security

Enterprise-grade security is the process a business uses to protect its informational assets against cybersecurity attacks, integrity infringement, or availability issues. This includes data, servers, storage, and workstations.

SD-WAN

SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) is a software system defined by a wide area that uses network technology to communicate over the internet between different locations using encryption.

Cloud Deployment

Cloud deployment allows businesses to deploy applications through varying hosting models and use SaaS (Software As A Service) or IaaS (Infrastructure As A Service) platforms that utilize the cloud.

Generalized Management System

A GMS (Generalized Management System) is a manual that charts operations processes including planning, implementing, and monitoring functions that affect service delivery.

Why Are Distributed Enterprises Important?

Distributed enterprise and geographically dispersed teams are important because of the flexibility and balance associated with remote work. Businesses that adopt hybrid working models garner employees who are on average 30% more productive than their in-office counterparts.

Distributed enterprise solutions are also cheaper to maintain and offer a wealth of hiring options and benefits for organizations. One of the most important advantages is workplace engagement which builds positive associations and connections to work-based environments and cultures.

According to Gartner, a dispersed workforce is the most effective way to build a 21st-century business because it allows for greater worker autonomy, increased productivity, and better engagement.

How To Secure Distributed Enterprises?

Distributed enterprises can have multiple branches in different locations around the world. Hospitals, banks, retailers are all examples of distributed enterprises. Whilst headquarters and base of operations premises can often be protected against cyberattacks, individual branches are left vulnerable. Cybercriminals can easily gain back door privileges to sensitive data and cause significant harm.

Virtual private networks (VPNs) are traditionally used as a means to connect remote locations and rapidly deploy new applications. VPNs are generally seen as an inexpensive and secure means of communication. However, the changing digital landscape is becoming progressively decentralized and VPNs aren’t able to deliver any real benefits.

Organizations of all sizes are now investing in the highest levels of security across multiple locations. These are the five security essentials that distributed enterprises should take note of:

Next-generation Firewalls

Most organizations have firewalls but they lack strength and can’t provide 'true' security. Next-generation firewalls (NGFW) enhance the capabilities of traditional firewalls with additional security capacity. This includes early detection, alleviation, and malware reporting.

Centralized Management

Applying centralized management to firewalls allows core administrators to manage the entirety of the safety structure from one location. This means that security policies for numerous branches can be managed without on-site security aids.

Unlimited Scalability

It’s important to add scalability as new locations are explored. Wide area network (WAN) acceleration is used to efficiently run security software which can be recognized automatically by firewalls and self-configured.

Application Control

Application priorities are imperative to centralized security management solutions. Ensuring that priorities are set guarantees the uninhibited bandwidth on the network.

High-Performance DPI SSL Inspection

Internet powerhouses such as Google and Facebook now encrypt all of the data traffic that shifts between data centers and end-users. 29.1% of Internet traffic is encrypted by SSL, with year-on-year increases expected. This means that firewalls need additional capabilities to inspect and decrypt enterprise traffic.

Top Distributed Enterprise Issues

Although distributed enterprise can be a useful asset to businesses looking to innovate the architecture of work, it also has several disadvantages that are important to note:

Difficult Troubleshooting

Distribution across multiple servers makes troubleshooting and diagnostics increasingly complicated.

Limited Software Support

Distributed systems have less inherent support and suffer because of it.

High Network Infrastructure Costs

Setting up network infrastructure across numerous locations can be expensive. Transmission, high load, and loss of information also need to be factored into the equation.

Security Issues

Open systems are vulnerable to attack and increase the risk of security breaches. Data security and sharing pose the most risks in distributed enterprise systems.

Why Is Digital Transformation Important In Distributed Enterprise?

The demand for personalized, superior, and distinguishable experiences that are delivering innovation and technological breakthroughs is greater than ever. Businesses are constantly inventing new ways to transform the lives of their customers in the digital age.

Exploration and experimentation are fundamental components of digital transformation and go hand in hand with the emergence of companies from multiple industries and cultures. The next phase of digital transformation shifts enterprise storage, networking, and computing from centralized locations to distributed or decentralized edge locations.

Data is moving to a more decentralized approach that emphasizes local storage through distributed edge locations. When discussing distributed edge from an enterprise perspective, it offers huge potential for better performance, reduced network costs, and faster deployment.

Conclusion

Distributed enterprise is a fast-growing strategy that is being utilized by businesses around the world who want to modernize their approach to the contemporary working structure. It's a way for businesses to increase their physical presence through a set of robust systems and processes that allow them to employ and utilize culture, innovation, and vision.

Hybrid workforces are becoming ever more popular in the digital age and the need for an independent workforce is growing significantly. Being able to utilize skills, qualities, and abilities from all walks of life allows businesses to explore and leverage multifaceted growth potential and launch themselves into the digital future.

Disclaimer: This article was originally published on the Walk.Me Glossary.