How Adaptive Networking Can Enhance Manufacturing Innovation

Katie Beaudoin Posted On March 18, 2020

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has blurred the lines between the physical and digital worlds. Manufacturers are undergoing fast, disruptive changes in their IT operations as they automate and digitize their supply chains with smart sensors and Industrial Internet of Things, big data platforms, augmented reality, and predictive analytics.

A foundational component necessary to succeed is an enterprise-wide network that is flexible, scales easily, is secure, and delivers on performance. Adaptive networking is the collection of software-defined functions that together deliver high-performance, flexibility, and secure connectivity.

Adaptive networking components include software defined WAN (SD-WAN); hybrid networks that merge internet virtual private network (VPN) and private VPNs; flexible bandwidth, particularly bandwidth on demand; dynamic WAN ports into data centers and clouds; and network functions virtualization (NFV). Financial services institutions combine these components and wrap them together with security and reporting intelligence to meet their accelerating IT needs.

A recent survey by market research firm Ovum, sponsored by CenturyLink, highlighted the following improvements by manufacturers that have leveraged adaptive networking technologies:

36% easier NFV management
50% better hybrid networking performance
38% better performance utilizing flexible bandwidth
47% improved resilience & security from implementing SD-WAN

Manufacturing IT executives draw on the full range of adaptive networking practices to support their industry’s applications, including:

Connected supply chains
Digital twinning and virtual simulations
Augmented reality
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and smart sensors
Predictive analytics

Read Ovum and CenturyLink’s report on how a flexible, scalable, and secure network can enhance digital transformation and business innovation in manufacturing.

Learn More

This blog is provided for informational purposes only and may require additional research and substantiation by the end user. In addition, the information is provided “as is” without any warranty or condition of any kind, either express or implied. Use of this information is at the end user’s own risk. CenturyLink does not warrant that the information will meet the end user’s requirements or that the implementation or usage of this information will result in the desired outcome of the end user.

Author

Katie Beaudoin

Katie Beaudoin leads global marketing initiatives across Lumen’s Manufacturing and Logistics business unit. She has a Marketing degree from Creighton University and started her career in industrial manufacturing marketing and telecommunications. Katie is able to leverage this background and is focused on understanding how the Fourth Industrial Revolution is impacting global manufacturers from an IT, operational, and innovation perspective. She works closely with internal solutions and innovation teams as well as sales leaders to effectively deploy leading edge technology capabilities to Lumen customers.