企业网络和连接的5G解决方案

Content Introduction3 Enterprise Networking Requirements5How can 5G technology address enterprise networking requirements?75G-centric enterprise networking11Conclusion14Glossary15References16Authors17 Introduction Enterprise networking refers to the set of physical and virtual equipment, resources, andservices that are used to provide required connectivity services among users, informationsystems, applications, cloud, and the internet in a specific business or mission-orientedenvironment. Enterprise networks are used across various environments, includingcorporate offices, utilities, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and public safety. A typical example of enterprise networking in the context of a corporate environment isshown in Figure 1. The enterprise Local Area Network (LAN) segment provides connectivitywithin corporate locations, and the Wide Area Network (WAN) segment interconnectsvarious corporate locations, data centers, Internet, remote workers, applications, andservices together. Enterprise networking is continuously reshaped through technological evolution and newdemands. Efficient networking and security technologies like Secure Access Service Edge(SASE) [1] drive technological evolution. SASE combines networking and security functionsso that users, devices, and applications can securely connect to remote services relying onthe integrated security functions. The demands come primarily from digital transformation,decentralized applications, mobile enterprise devices, working remotely, and advancedsecurity threats/measures. In general, the digital transformation of enterprises is changingthe overall enterprise networking landscape in several ways. For example: •blurring the border between enterprise LAN and WAN, turning the LAN into a dynamicnetwork topology with mobile endpoints over the internet,•convergence of connectivity, cloud, and security,•public internet becoming the main technology for interconnecting enterprise endpoints,•wireless technologies becoming the main mode of connectivity in the enterprise domain,•3GPP cellular network technologies gaining more relevance in the enterprise domain,•traditional enterprise security frameworks based on network perimeter losing theirrelevance. These developments have resulted in a new set of requirements, which are not preciselyaddressed by traditional enterprise networking solutions. With the introduction of 5G,mobile networking technology can effectively cater to the needs of enterprises. Thisincludes both enterprise connectivity via services provided by Communications ServiceProvider(CSP) networks, and private cellular networks, also known as non-public networks(NPNs[2]), for the WAN and LAN components, respectively. In this paper, we provide an overview of how 5G technology can be used to provide end-to-end connectivity solutions to enterprises, and we specifically investigate WAN enterprisenetworking. Our paper also sheds light on how CSPs can utilize their cellular networkinfrastructure to offer enterprise networking services fulfilling the evolving requirementsof enterprises. In doing so, we elaborate on challenges related to integrating advancedenterprise networking solutions into the CSP networks and discuss viable solutions to thosechallenges. EnterpriseNetworkingRequirements Before we get into the role of 5G in enterprise networking, let us look at the enterprisenetworking requirements. The enterprise networking domains include corporate offices,utilities, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, public safety, etc., where many generic as well asdomain-specific applications are used. This results in a multi-dimensional set of networkingrequirements. Enterprise networking requirements can be broadly divided into two groupsbased on the corresponding applications in various enterprise domains. Generic requirements These requirements are common across all or a large group of enterprise domains.Examples of such needs include: •Advanced connectivity services fulfilling certain quality of service (QoS) and quality ofexperience (QoE),•Application and network security and privacy,•Need for private connectivity among geographically distributed locations of a givenenterprise,•Advanced traffic routing functions,•End-points mobility Depending on specific usage scenarios, an enterprise network should be able to efficientlysupport various combinations of these needs, where each of which could have a differentquantity or intensity. To understand the importance and complexity of this group ofrequirements, it is worth highlighting that even deploying the same application within twodifferent enterprise domains could result in two different sets of networking requirements.For instance, consider extensively used enterprise communication and collaborationtools. These tools are typically based on multi-session and multi-connection applications.Deploying these applications in fixed wireless access points in branch offices, hospitals,and retail location