Intel IT is building a multi-cloud-ready enterprise network that can meet Intel’s constantly-changing network requirements. Increasing adoption of public cloud services, enormous data and network bandwidth demand growth, an increasingly complex cyber security landscape, and new business models and product lines are shaping a new approach to both our data center networks and Intel’s WAN.

At the heart of the new network paradigm is software-defined networking (SDN) that helps automate networking workflows and consistently maintain a healthy information security posture. Other aspects of our network transformation include the following:

1. Upgrading data center networks from 10 and 40 gigabit Ethernet to 100 gigabit Ethernet and increasing network port utilization
2. Taking advantage of regional co-location facilities to improve interconnects and scale the WAN
3. Establishing flexible but security-conscious controls that support both on-premises and public cloud workloads

While we are in the midst of our network transformation journey, we are already experiencing cost and operational benefits related to scalability, support for multi-cloud, automation, and information security. We believe our multi-cloud network strategy can accommodate Intel’s large on-premises private cloud as well as public cloud services so we can seamlessly meet Intel business needs and deliver maximum business value.

As Intel begins another 50 years of technology advancement, it relies on Intel IT to provide the necessary networking capabilities to support the business. Our network strategy accommodates exploding amounts of design, testing, and manufacturing data on our private cloud network along with migration of certain enterprise workloads to a multi-cloud environment. Flexible yet comprehensive information security controls help protect users and data, while SDN automates networking workflows and increases operational efficiency. We are excited about our network transformation efforts, which enable Intel to continually transform the world through innovation and collaboration.