Jennifer Holmes, COO of The London Internet Exchange (LINX) writes about the importance of creating a strategy to mitigate Internet disruption
On 5th of March 2024, the cutting of several crucial undersea communications cables in the Red Sea has caused major disruption in global data traffic. These cables, which connect Saudi Arabia to Djibouti, handle about 25% of data traffic between Asia and Europe.
The exact cause of the damage is still under investigation, with possibilities ranging from accidental snagging by ships to deliberate sabotage. Whatever the cause, this highlights the vulnerability of critical Internet infrastructure, and the significant impact these disruptions can have on global connectivity.
Our world has become increasingly interconnected, and ensuring an unbreakable internet service is more critical than ever. The internet can be unbreakable if we adopt a comprehensive strategy for network design and management focused on strong resilience. This strategy involves understanding the network’s design, implementing backup systems, and planning for unexpected issues.
The cost of network disruptions
Network outages are not merely inconvenient—they can be exceptionally costly. In today’s remote work and Cloud-driven environment, even minor disruptions can cripple productivity and lead to substantial financial losses. As businesses drive forward with digital transformation initiatives, Cloud migration, and the adoption of Cloud-based applications, they must reassess their network options to avoid problems with weak resilience.
The growth of digital services and the increase in streaming and content delivery have led to much higher data volumes, putting more pressure on many networks. For example, the global market for content delivery is expected to rise from $22 billion last year to $37 billion by the end of this decade. Additionally, the number of Internet users in the UK is projected to increase from 61.75 million this year to 64.46 million by 2029.
This growing demand for high-quality content highlights the need for businesses to invest in strong network infrastructure that can handle more data. Simply relying on traditional telecom solutions isn’t enough anymore. Organisations need to adopt advanced network strategies to avoid outages and keep their services running smoothly.
Critical industries can’t afford downtime
Certain sectors, such as healthcare and emergency services, rely heavily on uninterrupted, high-quality connections. For these industries, network resilience isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity. A reliable Internet connection can be a matter of life and death, making it essential for these sectors to invest in advanced network management solutions.
The market for collaboration software is expected to grow from $19.5 billion in 2022 to nearly $53 billion by 2032. This increase shows how much more we rely on digital tools, which add a lot of traffic to networks. Businesses using hybrid and remote work setups need strong network infrastructure to handle this growth. Traditional network solutions aren’t enough anymore; businesses need diverse and flexible connections to stay reliable and scalable.
Network resilience is important for all businesses, not just critical industries. As companies grow, they need adaptable and backup network solutions to handle more complex operations. Having the right infrastructure helps manage more traffic and meet changing demands, which is essential for keeping business operations smooth and providing top-notch services.
How smarter traffic management can eliminate packet loss
Packet loss occurs when data packets fail to reach their destination, leading to delays and a degraded user experience. This can happen due to damaged cables, network congestion, or other issues. While software can eventually detect and retransmit lost packets, this process often creates a backlog and slows down data flow.
As data volumes increase due to streaming, content delivery, and edge computing, managing network traffic becomes more important. Edge computing processes data closer to its source but still requires significant data transmission back to the Cloud. Effective traffic management technologies, including forward error correction and real-time rerouting, are essential to handle this growing load.
Understanding the complete journey of data across the network—how it moves from origin to destination—helps businesses optimise performance and reduce latency. Adopting a vendor-neutral approach and using advanced traffic management tools allow businesses to manage network traffic more effectively and reduce the impact of packet loss.
Jennifer Holmes has worked at the London Internet Exchange (LINX) since 2007. Initially operating in business development executive and management roles, she took on the position of CCO at LINX in 2019, and Board Director in 2023.
Author: Jennifer Holmes, COO of The London Internet Exchange
There’s plenty of other editorial on our sister site, Electronic Specifier! Or you can always join in the conversation by commenting below or visiting our LinkedIn page.