How did a modern network help an organization adapt quickly?

A modern network is the difference between a business that can adapt quickly to change — and one that sputters in the face of the unexpected. 

Take, for instance, Premier America Credit Union (PACU). In 2019, the large financial institution upgraded its legacy MPLS network to modern connectivity solutions so they could support the digital experiences their customers and employees expected. In March 2020, those upgrades provided the backbone they needed to turn their call center into a remote operation in just two weeks.

What comprises a modern network and how do organizations go about upgrading to one? I recently had the opportunity to talk about these topics with Janaki Rao, PACU CTO and senior vice president. Rao shared his thoughts on what defines a modern network, his plans to further modernize the PACU network and what he needs from technology partners to ensure success.
 

Bob Schroeder: What’s your definition of a “modern network”?

Janaki Rao: A modern network consists of modern app connectivity services, multi-cloud virtualized network capabilities and a physical network. With a modern network, companies can provide employees with fast, reliable and secure access to all applications — cloud-based or otherwise — no matter where those employees are located, all without putting a strain on bandwidth or requiring infrastructure changes.

Modern networks help simplify operations and reduce IT overhead because they allow companies to deploy cloud-based (SaaS) apps, which do not require hardware to be purchased, configured or maintained. For example, to support modern applications that require their own network, all my team needs to do is create a VLAN (virtual local area network), which takes just a few hours or even minutes using the Spectrum Enterprise fiber network.
 

BS: What steps have you taken to modernize your infrastructure, and what are your plans for further modernization?

JR: We’ve moved just about all our applications to the cloud, and have implemented Spectrum Enterprise Ethernet, Dedicated Fiber Internet (DFI) and Hosted Call Center services to support our modern network approach. We’re even reducing the number of laptops we give to employees. In place of those laptops we’re giving them virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) Thin Clients that provide access to the network and the applications they need, which, of course, are hosted in the private and public cloud.

We plan to continue adding more modernized applications to support and enhance our cloud-based security, revenue generation and payment systems, as well as our member experience. And this year we’re continuing to evolve into more digitalization to support our existing and future growth. We plan to implement the Spectrum Enterprise Cloud Connect service, so we can directly and securely connect to Microsoft Azure and other IaaS (infrastructure as a service) providers. We’re also planning to integrate Hosted Call Center with Salesforce and omnichannel marketing. Having a solution that integrates with our client relationship management software provides another powerful way to ensure that our member service agents have the information they need to address issues quickly and efficiently.
 

BS: What qualities are required of a technology partner to achieve network modernization goals?

JR: The partner should have a holistic approach that doesn’t just consider what you need right now, but that also accounts for what you’ll need in the future to grow and achieve your vision. The partner should also be flexible and willing to work with you to implement solutions at a pace that’s comfortable for you. Willingness to build trust and become an extension of your organization is also important.

Spectrum Enterprise has all of these qualities. When our account manager Sam O’Grady and his team first met with us, they said, “This is how we’re going to make you more successful in the financial market space.” Then, they built trust by delivering everything they promised. Because of that, we plan to continue working with Spectrum Enterprise to further modernize our network in the years ahead. They’ve been a great partner.