Conquering complexity: data networking trends as technology meets market reality

Small data networks are usually easy to maintain. However, the cost of support for growing networks can start to increase exponentially. If allowed to continue, additional network expansion comes up against a limit known as the complexity barrier. It then becomes too costly to add new network capabilities. The article discusses how today´s data networks can more adequately deal with complexity using existing technology, and how tomorrow´s data networks will change using emerging technologies. Intended for networking professionals involved in the planning and implementation of current and future data networks, the article depicts a vision of how changes can simplify data networking across a variety of networking environments