Digital acceleration is driving the adoption of hybrid IT architectures. These new hybrid environments blend data centers, campuses, branches, home offices, and multi-cloud environments into a dynamic, interconnected networking environment. When implemented correctly, a hybrid network provides critical services that traditional IT cannot offer, such as operational agility, hyperscale, and location independence. These, in turn, allow organizations to compete more effectively in today’s digital economy through improved productivity, more efficient supply-chain systems, increased customer and partner engagements, and optimized user experience.
However, effectively implementing digital acceleration requires rethinking security. While hybrid networks enable organizations to implement critical new business applications, processes, and services, they also significantly increase the attack vectors and surface. And hybrid networks not only have more locations, devices, applications, and services to protect. They are also in a state of constant flux. So, in addition to offering security everywhere, those protections also need to dynamically adapt to constantly shifting business requirements.