It’s an easy enough analogy to draw. A business is like a loaf of bread because it has several component parts that all need to come together into one cohesive mix, all according to the right recipe, otherwise the final product is unpalatable.

But the analogy runs deeper than batter and baking.

In the new age of data-driven business (that we are so fond of calling ‘digital transformation ’) on the road to cloud-based services-centric computing, it is insight into the specific detail of what’s happening inside any given operations base that is now required.

It’s not just a question of flour, yeast and water anymore; creating the modern business loaf is only possible if we can get granular (pun deliberately intended) and look at what’s really happening on the inside.

We need to know the size and quality of the grains we make our flour mix with. We need to know the strength and provenance of the yeast being used. We need to know how thick the slices are going to be, who is going to consume them and how much topping or filling they might have to support.

It’s no longer just a loaf of bread or a basis for business; it’s now a dynamically optimised and orchestrated foundation for content — and that content can be peanut butter or enterprise applications, it’s your choice.

Behavioural analytics

Bakery analogies aside then, what this proposition means in business technology terms still comes down to delivery i.e. we need to know who needs what, when and where they need it… and if we know why, then that helps too.

We can look for routes that will help us examine user requirements if we take a this more granular approach.

If we plug user machine data log files and application workload demands into our total analysis of systems orchestration then we can arguably form an even more accurate view of the way we need to plan IT management responsibilities for the future. This kind of behavioural analytics can help us create a higher bar for total systems management on the road to digital transformation.

Staying granular (and wholegrain organic if you wish), if we are prepared to look inside application and data delivery requirements, then we can start to build networks that are capable of handling potentially massive content delivery challenges.

Business lifeblood

Sustaining the lifeblood of business today depends upon an enterprise’s ability to serve thousands of end points around the world. Contemporary enterprise Service Level Agreements (SLAs) today typically require a network substrate that can delivery functional, up-to-date and securely patched software across a complex distribution network.

If you want to go back to loaves of bread… then think about a consumer base that needs fresh, wholesome and appealing products in multiple locations, all streamed in exactly when they need it.

Think of it like a 4^th of July picnic (or insert the holiday of your choice) but instead of burger buns and ketchup, the enterprise needs operating system updates, live video streaming, security provisioning execution controls and the ability to fulfill all manner of special user requests at any moment in time.

A topology for success

The bread maker shares a common headache with the enterprise IT architect ; they both want a network infrastructure to deliver their end product faster, more reliably and all within less bandwidth to make the whole process more efficient and profitable.

Creating this mix for digital business success in any industry vertical is never easy. Enterprises will need to look small picture as they examine granular needs at a device-specific user-specific level. Equally, they will need to look big picture and understand how operational requirements implications impact the total network topology.

Perfecting this new mix for business (or indeed bread, cakes and pastries) is a big ask, so let’s take this one bite at a time.