How to build an enterprise network to negotiate the challenges and opportunities of the future
Published by Colt Technology Services on October 28, 2025
In our last blog, we explored why security is the main driver of network transformation, and how legacy infrastructure is no longer well-suited to the world today’s enterprises are operating in. But what does a future-ready architecture look like, and how can it meet the security and agility requirements of enterprises today and in years to come?
For a network to support and secure the business through future volatility, it must be standardised and software-defined with centralised policies, and have security built into its fabric. Let’s take a look at what that means in practice.
Start by standardising patchwork networks
An important first step is transforming the complex mix of technologies that makes up many legacy networks, and replacing them with a globally consistent network platform. This standardises and simplifies enterprise infrastructure, making it easier to secure and manage, and allowing it to be more responsive to the needs of the business.
Software-defined networking for centralised management
A software-defined network creates a virtual abstraction of the underlying physical network. This is managed centrally through a controller, instead of the various hardware and software elements needing to be individually managed to make changes to the network.
Unlike traditional networks, software-defined infrastructure is application-aware. It can prioritise traffic from time-sensitive and business-critical applications by creating different WAN configurations and policies for each one.
This allows it to support the varied performance requirements of the applications and services that businesses rely on to function. It also makes the management of traffic from multiple clouds easier, faster and less time-consuming.
From a security perspective, the network needs to move away from a trusted network perimeter to a software-defined perimeter that focuses on securing people, things, data and applications.
Zero trust: a new security model
Instead of the traditional ‘castle and moat’ model, enterprises are now moving towards an architecture that secures assets like information and users instead of the network perimeter – in other words, one that works on zero trust principles.
Rather than the legacy approach of creating gateways through a secure perimeter, the zero trust model is designed for a network with no real perimeter and for users that can be located anywhere.
This is a much more effective approach to protecting enterprise resources, and also speeds up detection and limits damage if there is an incursion.
The traditional castle-and-moat approach worked on the basis that any user that had been granted access inside the network perimeter was trustworthy.
With zero trust, on the other hand, authorisation and authentication take place continuously, so it’s not possible for attackers to move laterally between resources if they get into the network. This significantly limits the blast radius if a successful attack happens.
It’s no wonder, then, that this approach is gaining traction. More than 30% of global organisations have already implemented a zero trust strategy, while 27% were planning to implement it within the next six months.
SASE: bringing together security and flexibility
Zero trust is commonly deployed as part of a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solution. SASE is a cloud architecture approach that combines a software-defined model in the shape of SD-WAN together with zero trust and a suite of other security technologies.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) brings together the performance management and flexibility of SD-WAN with robust security. SASE provides centralised and consistent security policies wherever users are connecting from, allowing remote staff to work productively without compromising corporate safeguards. This dramatically simplifies the network and makes it easier to manage and secure.
With hyperscale cloud security from Zscaler, patches and security updates are far more regularly, consistently and speedily applied, providing stronger protection against vulnerabilities. Many large SASE platforms also make use of AI to more effectively predict, identify, analyse and mitigate threats.
So what does this all mean for the business?
A network that responds to new demands
Compared to legacy networks, this kind of modernised infrastructure is much better prepared to react quickly and flexibly to planned or unplanned requirements in the future.
For example, if more capacity is needed, or a new app demands the best possible performance, or a new cloud provider is brought on board, the network can adjust accordingly.
At a business level, if a new line of business is launched or acquired, or another pandemic breaks out, the network is ready to handle these changes. If the organisation expands operations into a new region, it’s faster and simpler to connect new locations.
It also allows organisations to reap the benefits of next-generation technologies more quickly and easily by managing the demands of these new innovations. For example, GenAI can place pressure on the network with sudden bursts of high-volume traffic and – depending on its application – may require extremely low latency. Future-ready infrastructure can handle these demands, but traditional networks can struggle with them.
However robust an organisation’s network defences, cybersecurity is an ongoing battle that never ends. By removing the technical debt and the intensive management that legacy networks entail, enterprises can focus on areas like improving vulnerability management and threat intelligence.
Compliance with regulations and boosting sustainability
A secure, modernised digital infrastructure is a vital component of regulatory compliance. NIS2, for example, is designed to improve resilience and cybersecurity in a range of critical industries across the EU. The financial sector has also recently become subject to the DORA regulation which aims to strengthen the IT security of organisations in the sector.
A future-ready network also helps enterprises to manage and minimise risks to their data, operations and reputation, by boosting cybersecurity and improving detection and response times when incidents inevitably happen.
Sustainability is a topic that’s increasingly governing the choices of IT leaders: 74% say that ESG either drives or influences all their strategic decision-making when it comes to digital infrastructure. In general, modern future-ready network and security infrastructures are more power-efficient and environmentally sustainable.
We expect that transitioning away from TDM in our own network, for example, will reduce our energy consumption by a remarkable 13.2GWh. Cloud-based network security services are also believed to be more energy-efficient because they’re centralised and benefit from economies of scale.
Security is no longer the enemy of agility
A future-ready infrastructure is designed to evolve with the business, and help it to navigate new risks, new opportunities and new ways of working.
Unlike legacy networks, modernised infrastructure doesn’t have to prioritise security over flexibility or vice versa, because both are built in by design – and in a future where the only certainty is change, both will be essential.
Zero trust can’t be bought as a plug-and-play solution. It demands a thorough insight into the organisation’s infrastructure, risks, gaps and vulnerabilities before creating a strategic blueprint outlining how to achieve the target security posture. To achieve this, our consultants use assessments which are based on the Capability Maturity Model methodology and are built around the gold standard NIST 800 series framework.
Colt brings the best of managed branch connectivity and cloud-based security into a powerful integrated SASE solution. Find out how we can help you achieve a security posture to cope with the threats and possibilities of the future.
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