Many sectors have seen a high level of disruption and change in their technological requirements in the past few years – and the pandemic only exacerbated them. Today, the four key sectors of higher education, healthcare, retail and government are some of the fastest digitalising industries. In light of this, there have been new expectations on the IT infrastructure upholding operations.
For example, in healthcare, the pandemic and increased in-patient admissions and remote consultations led to intense demands on the network; physical appointments were limited by safety restrictions and virtual consultations surged, driving the adoption of applications such as telehealth and remote monitoring. Meanwhile, in retail, consumers moved from physical stores to online shopping and digital retail channels in search of value and convenience – building on a pre-pandemic trend of customer demand for more engaging, personalised, omnichannel experiences.
There is a clear necessity for partners to enable organisations across the four sectors of higher education, healthcare, retail and government to evolve and digitise in order to keep up with these changes. Juniper Networks is focusing its efforts on these sectors by assisting partners with training and development so they can be as effective as possible. It’s time for resellers to target organisations with the technology that will support their ongoing digitalisation plans.
Higher Education: The Generation of the Future Deserves a Futureproof Network
Student and staff demands have changed significantly: the current ‘Generation Z’ students are accustomed to and expect an exemplary online experience with zero downtime and slick, flawless applications. That said, according to IDC, 75 per cent of European universities are reporting a decrease in revenue, meaning that CIOs are being asked to do more with fewer resources.[1]
The network has evolved into an enabler of outcomes and is central to driving modernisation and differentiation in higher education. CIOs and IT directors are now looking for networking architecture with intelligence, automation and software-defined management and deployment options. These innovations can greatly enhance the student experience, improve health and wellbeing, ensure safety on campus and meet student and staff expectations. With a secure, resilient network, plus the ability to synthesise data with the right privacy protocols, institutions can mine the operational and experience-focused benefits of the latest technologies.
Healthcare: Tending to the Network for Better Patient Care
Healthcare providers have realised, even pre-COVID, that traditional legacy infrastructure simply cannot keep up with the fresh demand to support new applications and technologies. Rather, healthcare providers now understand that they need the support of high-performing IT networks to help them deliver their priorities and objectives safely and effectively. The drive for improvement is not limited to bandwidth alone, but further to more flexibility, agility, security and cost management. If the pandemic has taught healthcare providers anything it’s that the need for adaptation to changes in demand is vital.
Fortunately, the modern, experience-first network can provide the predictability, security and scalability they require. The network is now considered to be a strategic component of the organisation rather than just a source of cost efficiencies. A smart, AI-based network provides a new level of insight around the user and device experience, with visibility into the infrastructure that was never previously possible. It can also proactively monitor devices and systems and troubleshoot any potential problems before they occur. This greater visibility into what is happening on the network, and the ability to proactively provide recommendations or fixes, allows the hospital to spend less time troubleshooting issues. This results in better outcomes on both the clinical and IT side.
More to Come…
Despite the obvious differences between higher education and healthcare, both sectors are facing similar challenges right now in preparing for the future. Juniper Networks sees it as our responsibility to enable our partners to best equip organisations across these vertical markets with networks that give them a key competitive edge.
Stay tuned for Part Two of this blog series which will look at retail and government
[1] IDC InfoBite, sponsored by Juniper Networks, The IT Network Infrastructure Revolution in Education, doc #EUR147463521, February 2021
