Representatives from a networking company told people at ITEXPO 2023 that the era of the infinite enterprise is here to stay.

Trading on NASDAQ under the ticker EXTRE, Extreme Networks (News - Alert) takes in more than a billion dollars in revenue each year. When they speak, you should listen.

“Three years ago, everything changed,” said Abbey Wolfram, senior channel marketing director at Extreme Networks. “COVID really was the catalyst for forcing change in the market.

“We live in a distributed world,” said Scott Peterson, senior vice president for global channels at Extreme Networks. “It’s not new normal, it’s just how it is now.”

Just before the lunch break, attendees were treated to a fast-paced half-hour discussion on “Why the Infinite (News - Alert) Enterprise is Here to Stay in the Digital World.”

Here’s how the Extreme Network website describes the company’s vision of the Infinite Enterprise, one that is: 

• Infinitely distributed. Organizations must become infinitely distributed to meet users wherever they are. The workplace must come to the consumer. The services must come to the consumer.  
• Consumer centric. A consumer-centric experience uses technology that revolves around the user’s needs. Organizations must provide technology solutions that users’ desire. 
• At scale. “This means scaling services, technology and even people to provide reliable and secure experiences everywhere for everyone.” 

The goal is to provide seamless network connections for all employees, regardless of where they reside, across multiple devices and providers. One network, one cloud and one extreme, all managed through one pane of glass for visibility and flexibility.

The American public has become accustomed to using digital products, Wolfram said. For instance, in the healthcare arena: 

• 68% of people choose a medical provider who offers digital connections 
• 34% of people manage their medications using a cellphone application 
• 33% of people monitor their mental health using their cellphone. 

“Companies definitely have adapted to today’s digital consumer, she said. On the ecommerce side: 

• 80% of people feel comfortable using a chatbox 
• 64% of people participate in hybrid shopping activities 
• 40% of people use Instagram to shop on a weekly basis 

With all that going on, the demands on the network are heavy. And they keep growing. Here comes the Internet of Things. “More than 25% of the devices we manage are not people related,” Wolfram said.

To help manage the load, Extreme Networks is extending their SD-WAN product to the edge. “We’re taking that and extending it to our edge devices,” Wolfram said.

She says edge processing helps enable the company to meet users wherever they are, using whatever they have. The key is to connect employees by utilizing resources to: 

• Reduce cost and complexity for workers 
• Meet worker expectations 
• Ensure satisfaction and continuity in the workplace. 

Lofty goals, but they’re a big company. With all the new network capability available, who knows where we’ll be in two or three years, Wolfram said. “Will ITEXPO (News - Alert) be available in the metaverse by then?” she asked.