How 5G deployment will impact enterprise network hardware and software

For most enterprises, IT teams will deploy fifth-generation cellular technology in two different ways: mobile and fixed wireless broadband. Because most 4G to 5G upgrades happen within mobile operators’ networks, many enterprise network architects forget they have a job to do, too.

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In this article, we’ll discuss the impact of 5G deployment on a typical enterprise network, while also exploring what hardware, software, and services enterprises will need to support this emerging technology.

When talking about 5G, one benefit people almost always talk about is improved network throughput. In fact, 5G deployments are starting to show impressive numbers in many areas, many times higher than current 4G networks.

Another key benefit of 5G that is largely overlooked is low latency. For enterprise users, low latency is very important from a mobile workforce perspective. Real-time communications have become a must-have for all mobile or remote workers. The problem here is that current generation wireless broadband can have latency issues, causing interruptions in audio and video streams. With the improvement in latency provided by 5G technology, most real-time applications can provide a consistent experience whether the employee is in the corporate office or in a remote location.

Three ways 5G will impact real-time communications 5G will improve real-time communications, which is important information for network architects:

• First, people are more likely to use reliable applications. Therefore, enterprises should prepare for a significant increase in the use of mobile unified communications and collaboration. This means that both inside and outside the corporate LAN, IT teams must ensure that servers (and connections to those servers) have ample headroom in terms of CPU and data throughput consumption. If there is no additional capacity, enterprises may need to consider upgrading infrastructure or Internet services to eliminate any potential bottlenecks. For remote offices in a fixed wireless broadband environment, 5G deployments will be the best choice. Again, here, IT teams need to consider a few things. First, they should evaluate 5G fixed wireless as the primary link in many deployments.
• For many remote locations, 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) traditionally hasn’t provided adequate throughput and latency. As a result, IT often relegated it to a backup line. But with 5G, many offices can enjoy the same benefits of fixed lines—ideally at a lower monthly cost. When 5G is fully rolled out, using software-defined wide-area networks (SD-WANs) in remote office locations may be a more attractive option. Traditionally, locations that don’t have access to a variety of fast and reliable broadband options haven’t considered SD-WANs. But when 5G becomes available, it will change the game in terms of WAN performance and resiliency. Therefore, network engineers should focus on how to replace current remote office WAN hardware and software with 5G routers and firewalls that incorporate software-defined technologies.
• 5G deployment opens the door to revolutionary projects such as the Internet of Things. IoT devices and sensors will soon be able to move beyond physical enterprise walls while maintaining the speed and reliability to perform an increasing number of machine-to-machine data collection and analysis tasks. Combined with the growing number of mobile workers, the increase in IoT devices will once again increase the demand for network and Internet throughput.

Also, don’t forget that the enterprise must be responsible for managing and securing the growing number of IoT and mobile devices, which is where unified endpoint management (UEM) and security-as-a-service tools come in handy. Unified endpoint management can help maintain endpoint health from a physical perspective and provide granularity at the application level to monitor the status of endpoints across the network. Security-as-a-service tools will help simplify policy enforcement for mobile devices connected to the Internet, while also moving security-based data flows outside the corporate network.