Securing the connected enterprise: Why resilient networks matter more than ever

Key takeaways

• Networking and security are converging as enterprises operate across cloud, data center, campus, edge and remote environments
• Integrated secure access service edge (SASE) and Zero Trust can help secure access without adding unnecessary complexity
• Microsegmentation can contain threats by limiting how far an attack can move across an environment
• Automation needs engineering discipline, with reliability, service objectives and continuous improvement at the center
• Secure connectivity is becoming foundational to AI, distributed operations and next-generation enterprise services

As enterprises expand across cloud, data centers, edge environments and distributed workforces, the traditional boundaries of the enterprise are becoming increasingly difficult to define. Applications and data are spread across multiple environments, while users expect secure access from wherever they work.

This is changing the way organizations need to approach connectivity and security.

In the second episode of HCLTech’s Decoding the Ws podcast series, Gurpreet Singh Kohli, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks and Contact Center Business Unit, HCLTech, speaks with Himansh Mittal, Associate Manager, Networks, DFS Marketing, HCLTech, about the convergence of networking and security and what it means for enterprises building secure, reliable and resilient connectivity.

Security starts with a borderless enterprise

The enterprise perimeter has changed. Organizations increasingly operate across multiple hyperscalers, private data centers, colocation facilities and edge environments, creating a highly distributed technology landscape.

“Most of the enterprises are becoming borderless now,” says Kohli. “Data is pretty much distributed. And we have to secure everything.”

This makes secure connectivity a broader architectural consideration rather than a standalone security function. Zero Trust principles can help organizations provide access without unnecessarily exposing their applications or infrastructure. Kohli points to the use of Zero Trust architectures and cloud based SSE, where users connect through a secure exchange and application connectors provide access to applications without exposing their underlying IP addresses.

At the same time, he notes that Zero Trust is only one part of the picture. As physical AI, robotics and other connected technologies become more prevalent, enterprises will also need security capabilities that can protect increasingly complex environments.

This is where the convergence of software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), campus networking and SASE becomes particularly relevant.

Networking and security are converging

The convergence of networking and security is not entirely new. Kohli points to the evolution of networking itself, noting that network devices have long used access control lists as a basic form of traffic filtering.

Over time, dedicated firewalls and additional security capabilities emerged. Today, those capabilities are once again becoming more integrated.

“Network and network security were actually, I will say, they come from the same zone,” says Kohli. “But now it is all becoming integrated once again.”

The shift is being driven partly by the growing attack surface and the fact that users and applications can connect from almost anywhere. Connectivity and security can no longer be treated as separate operational conversations.

For enterprises, however, convergence also introduces a skills challenge. Modern environments span multiple networking and security technologies and vendors, creating a need for professionals who can understand the entire technology stack rather than operate within a single specialty.

Kohli cautions against assuming automation will eliminate that need.

“The way the traffic is moving, if you do not know the way traffic is moving over IP, you will never be able to succeed,” he says. “We have to be masters in layer one, layer two, layer three, layer four, layer five. And then comes the presentation and the application layer.”

Reducing risk through segmentation and structured transformation

As enterprises rethink secure access, one of the central objectives is reducing the attack surface. With more users, devices, applications and environments connected, organizations need ways to limit the potential impact of a security incident.

Kohli draws a parallel with quarantine during a major outbreak: when everything cannot be secured as one large zone, creating smaller zones can help contain the impact.

In enterprise environments, microsegmentation can serve a similar purpose by creating controlled security boundaries across data center and campus environments.

But this cannot happen as a single, overnight exercise.

“These are journeys. This is not going to happen tomorrow,” says Kohli.

Enterprises need to prioritize where to begin, assess their existing environments and build a phased roadmap that aligns investment with business priorities. The objective is not to change everything at once, but to make progress systematically.

From automation to network reliability engineering

Turning strategy into reality requires more than deploying new technology. Kohli describes a broader reliability engineering approach built around automated deployment, testing and operations, supported by an understanding of what the business actually needs from its network.

“Automation will solve everything. It’s not like that,” he says.

The starting point, he argues, should be service-level indicators and service-level objectives. Rather than focusing only on whether service-level agreements are being met, organizations need to understand what the business is trying to achieve and translate those outcomes into measurable use cases.

This can include proof-of-concept projects, process engineering and testing based on chaos engineering principles. Telemetry and analytics then provide the data needed to identify issues, improve operations and establish a cycle of continuous improvement.

The approach ultimately shifts the focus from technology deployment to business impact.

“We are trying to reason out with them, create these use cases, do the proof of concepts, then proof of value,” says Kohli. “What is the impact to the business?”

Secure connectivity is becoming foundational to AI

The importance of this architecture becomes even clearer as enterprises adopt AI.

Many enterprise AI workloads rely on distributed or cloud-based compute, making reliable network connectivity increasingly important to the delivery of AI-enabled services. Kohli also points to emerging healthcare applications as an illustration. In areas such as remote robotic surgery, highly reliable, low-latency and secure connectivity could enable new models of care and remote access to specialist capabilities.

These examples illustrate a broader point: connectivity is no longer simply an infrastructure layer supporting applications. As enterprises adopt AI, automation and distributed technologies, the network becomes part of the capability itself.

Building secure connectivity into the enterprise

Looking ahead, Kohli sees secure connectivity becoming increasingly embedded in how organizations operate rather than treated as a standalone technology initiative.

“Secure connectivity is not a word,” he says. “It is totally embedded in what our organizations are going to create and how they are going to look tomorrow.”

For enterprises, that means bringing networking, security, reliability and business objectives closer together. Integrated SASE can be part of that journey, but the larger shift is architectural and operational: secure access needs to be built into the way distributed environments are designed and managed.

As Kohli concludes, organizations that build networks that are reliable, available and secure will be better positioned to support the technologies and services shaping the next phase of enterprise operations.

The future of secure connectivity is not simply about adding more security to the network. It is about creating an operating model where connectivity, security and resilience work together from the start.