It`s as simple as that. How to keep it working, evolving, developing and supporting your business` strategy is another story entirely.

The network, it has been said, is the business, and in today's globalised, e-enabled economy, this is becoming more true with every passing day, deal, merger or acquisition. Technology moves forward apace and the speed of business reaches increasingly insane levels. The network is expected to be able to facilitate this, combining businesses, enabling new technology and meeting increasingly savvy users' demands. Needless to say, budgets aren't keeping up; they never do. The superhuman speed of business doesn't translate to superhuman people, ultimately the beings responsible for managing the network mammoth.

What's the solution? Now there's the million-dollar question. Certainly there's no easy answer, quick fix or one-size-fits-all approach, irrespective of what the vendors, consultants or outsourcers are occasionally prone to say. What there is, however, is an approach to networking that makes coping with the above issues manageable.