Rethinking Accenture's network
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Accenture saw its global private enterprise network as a potential limiting factor for growth, so it developed a program to transition to a more agile network. The document discusses Accenture's plan to phase out its private network completely by taking advantage of cloud technologies and consuming network services from cloud providers. This will simplify Accenture's network, reduce costs, improve security, business agility and user experience. The transformation is expected to generate an estimated $15-20 million in annual cost savings for Accenture while also reducing its carbon footprint.
Rethinking Accenture's network
- 1. STORIES A radically new approach to consuming network services Rethinking Accenture’s network
- 2. Accenture saw our global enterprise network as a potential limiting factor for growth, so we developed a program to address the need for a more agile one. Copyright © 2022 Accenture. All rights reserved An opportunity to disrupt Accenture network facts Call for change Accenture’s enterprise network has been critical to connecting our workforce of 710,000 employees serving clients across 120 countries to our business applications and collaboration tools. Over the years, our global private network has grown in considerable size and complexity with significant operational overhead. Today, many organizations are adopting cloud technologies to be able to address the impact of rapid business change for application and content hosting. But what about the network? While cloud workloads are able to flex to meet demand in real time, networks are still largely fixed and slow to respond to demand fluctuations. The move of nearly all of Accenture’s IT infrastructure to the hybrid cloud presented an opportunity to not only modernize applications but to significantly disrupt our network approach to a radically new one of extensive cloud service consumption. With nearly all our business applications “internet facing” and most Accenture offices connected to the internet, the reality is that cloud connectivity can replace traditional enterprise networks with the internet enabling the “last mile.” This approach is creating the possibility to phase out our private network completely. 200 Cities with Accenture locations and operations 574K+ Unique network users 50K+ Managed network devices 15M Daily employee authentications
- 3. Copyright © 2022 Accenture. All rights reserved Transforming our network When tech meets human ingenuity We’re transforming to operate as a cloud- enabled network wherever our people are working. Our approach is to use the internet as the primary method of connection and cloud provider services to replace traditional enterprise connectivity. This is the future of cloud-enabled organizations. We’re eliminating our reliance on enterprise data centers. We want to make the best use of cloud and SaaS services and make them accessible natively over the internet. The abundance of capacity and direct routing is serving our workforce better than backhauling traffic to a private network that will always have finite capacity. We’re also changing the connectivity in all our office locations from attaching to our private core to cloud-enabled network. We’re decreasing the size of the network core and the number of our cloud connectivity locations. We’re moving the last applications and services to either cloud or edge compute solutions. The final effort will move Accenture to a completely commoditized network. Copyright © 2022 Accenture. All rights reserved
- 4. Copyright © 2022 Accenture. All rights reserved When tech meets human ingenuity Our approach is innovative in that we are phasing out the concept of a traditional network and instead taking full advantage of the cloud WAN and consuming a global infrastructure as a service like everything else supported in the cloud. In the process, we are creatively replacing many of the services typically hosted in a core network: Maintaining IT security without owning a network. We encrypt all traffic and use multifactor authentications for all our applications and services, focusing on securing our data and intellectual property. Our security approach will be decoupled from our infrastructure and driven by identity. Redefining remote access services. We partnered with our cloud and SaaS providers to build new remote access solutions. By using cloud-native VDI and VPN, we only pay for what we use and have a service that scales horizontally as needed. Going cloud enabled. StoringAccenture’s applications and content in the public cloud means we no longer need to direct traffic through a constrained enterprise network. Enhancing experience. Permanently uncoupling from a private network will enable us to make use of the inherent availability and unlimited capacity of the internet and eliminate any constraints or choke points. Rethinking IT success measurements. A holistic experience platform will combine telemetry from several performance metrics from multiple sources. This score will be our new measure of IT health. Connectivity is at the core of a digital business. As cloud has forced a paradigm shift in how digital businesses provide their services, it will also force a shift in how we think about flexible and secure connectivity.” MERIM BECIROVIC Managing Director—Global IT, Enterprise T echnology,Accenture
- 5. Copyright © 2022 Accenture. All rights reserved A valuable difference Simplification Accenture’s network transformation program is well under way. This move toward commodity- based connectivity powered by internet-only and cloud services simplifies all aspects of our network. It will be more secure, less complex, and higher performing. The transformation is projected to reduce our asset-heavy core and fixed costs. The change enables us to operate in a highly optimized consumption model, only paying for what we need with supply aligned to demand in real time. We’ll gain business agility from having a network that is highly consumable with capacity that can flex up and down in real time. Our transformation will also generate the untapped potential of reducingAccenture’s carbon footprint by eliminating hundreds of network assets hosted in dozens of hosting facilities around the world. Security will be enhanced. By moving away from a fixed private network to using shared networks, we will only consume the network resources—and associated carbon footprint—that is required.
- 6. Copyright © 2022 Accenture. All rights reserved A valuable difference Benefits of our network transformation: Cost-effective Shifting most of our traffic directly to the internet rather than using a private core decreases cost per unit by aligning capacity to business demand. Cost reductions Positions Accenture for an estimated cost savings of $15‒$20 million per year. Secure by design Allows our people to work anywhere while providing protection for end points and data, reducing our attack surface area and protecting our reputation. Business agility Phasing out a heavy and passive network environment supports Accenture’s ability to innovate as fast as desired. Driving toward internet and cloud only allows us to use the inherent infinite capacity of these services to reimagine the future of our workforce’s experience.” STEVE COURTNEY Director—Global IT, Technology Vision & Strategy,Accenture User experience A consistent connectivity approach regardless of location coupled with more direct access to applications and content improves the user experience. Simplified design Negating the need to connect offices to a private backbone simplifies office design, improves deployment time, and eases operational impact. Sustainability Moving away from static networks that are built for peak loads to a consumption model that is aligned to real-time demand reduces our carbon footprint. Copyright © 2022 Accenture. All rights reserved
- 7. Copyright © 2022 Accenture. All rights reserved Copyright © 2022Accenture. All rights reserved. Accenture and its logo are trademarks ofAccenture. About Accenture Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services — all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 710,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com. Contact Merim Becirovic Managing Director Global IT Enterprise Technology /merim-becirovic Steve Courtney Managing Director Global IT Technology Vision & Strategy /steve-c Don Galzarano Managing Director Global IT Enterprise Technology, Intelligent Cloud & Networks /don-galzarano Amardip Singh Mann Director Global IT Chief Cloud/Network Architect /amomann