The network is no longer simply the infrastructure that connects people to the internet. For modern organisations, it sits underneath almost everything: cloud applications, collaboration tools, security systems, wireless devices, IoT, remote working and increasingly, artificial intelligence. As organisations become more connected, the demands placed on their networks are changing too. Networks need to support more devices, more data and more locations, while providing the reliability, visibility and security needed to keep organisations operating.
At the same time, the cyber threat facing UK organisations continues to grow. The latest UK Government Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/26 found that 43% of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack in the previous 12 months, rising to 69% among large businesses. The network therefore has an increasingly important role to play in both keeping organisations connected and helping them stay secure.
What does a modern network need to deliver?
A modern network needs to do much more than provide connectivity. As organisations add more users, devices, applications and locations, IT teams need greater visibility into what is happening across the environment. They need to understand what is connected, identify potential problems, control access and make changes without introducing unnecessary complexity. This is particularly important as organisations look to adopt new technologies.
The UK Government’s latest AI Adoption Research found that 1 in 6 businesses currently use AI, with larger businesses significantly more likely to be adopting AI. Among businesses already using AI, 56% reported an increase in employee productivity.
As AI becomes more widely adopted, the infrastructure supporting it needs to keep pace. That doesn’t necessarily mean organisations need to replace their entire network. It does mean they should consider whether their existing infrastructure provides the capacity, visibility, security and flexibility required for where the organisation is heading. This is where modern network management becomes increasingly important.
Where Extreme Networks fits
Extreme Networks takes a broad approach to modern networking, bringing together wired and wireless connectivity, cloud management, network fabric, security and AI-enabled network operations. One of the key elements is ExtremeCloud IQ, which provides cloud-based management and visibility across network infrastructure. Rather than requiring IT teams to manage individual network components in isolation, it provides a centralised view that can help teams monitor, configure and troubleshoot their environments. For organisations operating across multiple sites, this can be particularly valuable.
A distributed network can quickly become difficult to manage when every location has its own switches, access points, configurations and policies. Centralised management can help provide greater consistency while giving IT teams a clearer picture of the overall environment. But visibility is only part of the challenge.
Simplifying network operations
Extreme’s Fabric technology is designed to simplify network deployment and ongoing operations through automation. Instead of relying heavily on manual configuration, Extreme Fabric can automate elements such as provisioning, segmentation and network recovery. It is designed to operate across campus, branch and data centre environments, helping organisations create a more consistent approach to network connectivity.
This becomes increasingly relevant as organisations grow. Adding another site or expanding an existing network shouldn’t necessarily mean adding another layer of manual administration. Automation can help IT teams reduce repetitive tasks and improve consistency across the environment. It can also play an important role in resilience. Network failures are inevitable. What matters is how quickly an organisation can identify a problem, how effectively traffic can be redirected and how much disruption the failure causes. Building automated recovery and resilient architecture into the network can help reduce that impact.
Networking and security are becoming increasingly connected
The traditional distinction between the network and cyber security is also becoming less clear. Users may be working remotely. Applications may be hosted in the cloud. IoT devices may be connecting from different parts of an organisation. Third parties may need controlled access to specific systems.
The question is no longer simply “can this device connect?” It is “should this device connect, what should it be able to access, and under what conditions?”
This makes capabilities such as network access control, segmentation and Zero Trust increasingly relevant. Extreme’s security capabilities include network access control and segmentation, alongside Universal Zero Trust Network Access, designed to provide identity-based access to applications and resources. That approach aligns with a wider shift towards treating every connection as something that needs to be understood and controlled, rather than assuming that anything inside a traditional network perimeter is automatically trusted.
The importance of this shouldn’t be underestimated. A network isn’t a complete cyber security strategy, but its architecture can form an important part of one. Segmentation can help limit unnecessary communication between systems. Access controls can help restrict who and what can reach critical resources. Visibility can help teams identify unusual activity. In other words, the network can become another layer of defence.
The next step: intelligence and automation
Network management is also beginning to change through the use of AI. Traditional monitoring can tell an IT team that something is wrong. The challenge is understanding why it has happened and what should be done next. Extreme is increasingly incorporating AI into its networking portfolio to address this. Extreme Platform ONE brings networking and security together with conversational, multimodal and agentic AI capabilities. Extreme describes the platform as providing a unified experience for network and security management, with AI designed to help turn complex operational tasks into faster workflows.
The aim isn’t to replace network engineers. Instead, AI can act as another tool for IT teams, helping them make sense of large volumes of network information, find answers more quickly and automate repetitive tasks. Extreme’s Agent ONE is designed specifically around this concept, using network context to help teams investigate issues and carry out operational workflows. This could become increasingly valuable as network environments become more complex. The more devices, users, applications and locations an organisation has, the more information an IT team needs to process. The opportunity for AI is to help turn that information into something more useful and actionable.
Putting the technology into practice
At Syscomm, we work with a range of networking technologies and solutions, selecting the approach that best fits each customer’s requirements. Extreme Networks is one of the technology partners we work with, and we’re pleased to have maintained Diamond Level status within the Extreme Networks Partner Program for FY27. The partnership gives us access to Extreme’s networking portfolio and reflects our continued investment in the technology and the expertise needed to support customers.
But there’s another reason we’re confident in the technology. We’ve built our own business network using Extreme Networks. That means our experience isn’t limited to deploying the technology for customers. We use it ourselves as part of our day-to-day operations. We know what it’s like to manage the technology, rely on the connectivity and use the tools that support it. That practical experience is valuable when we’re helping customers consider their own networking requirements.
You can find out more about our Network Solutions, covering areas including network infrastructure, wireless, connectivity and security.
Building a network that’s ready for what’s next
The demands placed on networks aren’t going away. Organisations are becoming more connected. AI adoption is increasing. Cyber threats continue to develop. More devices are joining networks, and IT teams are expected to manage increasingly complex environments. The answer isn’t necessarily to buy more technology. It’s to build an architecture that provides the right combination of connectivity, security, visibility, resilience and manageability and to choose technologies that can evolve alongside the organisation.
Extreme Networks is continuing to develop its portfolio around these requirements, bringing together cloud management, automation, fabric networking, security and AI-enabled operations. For organisations reviewing their network infrastructure, the most important question isn’t simply “what technology should we buy?”
It’s:
“What does our organisation need the network to do next?”
Once that question is answered, the right technology becomes much easier to identify.
Looking to review your network?
Whether you’re planning a network refresh, expanding across multiple sites or looking to improve network performance, visibility or security, talk to Syscomm about your requirements.
We can help assess your existing environment and identify where improvements could make the biggest difference.
Better connected. Better prepared.