Want true network maturity? Align these three architectures

When it comes to building a truly modern, efficient network, you need to bring your technology, operations and business strategy into sync. That means three things need to work in harmony: solution architecture, service architecture and commercial architecture.

Say your organization needs a new secure access service edge (SASE) tool that has all the security bells and whistles, but comes with high up-front costs rather than an opex-friendly pricing model. In this case, your solution architecture (the SASE tool) makes sense, but the commercial architecture (the pricing model) doesn’t.

In a happier scenario, you get the opex pricing, but neglect round-the-clock monitoring, proactive fixes and ongoing service improvements. Because your service architecture is weak, your vision of a “cutting-edge” network might never become a reality.

Think of these architectures as the guitarist, drummer and bassist in a band — you can play without one, but the music won’t sound the same.

Let’s break down how they connect and why skipping any one of them can stall your network transformation.

Solution architecture: What you build

Your solution architecture is the technical blueprint for how your network is designed and integrated to meet business and operational requirements.

• Focus: Topology and protocols (such as SASE and software-defined wide area networking), cloud integration, AI and machine learning for operations, security layers and interoperability
• Drives: Modernization, innovation and performance
• Must align with: Commercial and service models for feasibility and sustainability
• Contribution to network maturity: Innovation, automation and cloud readiness

Standardized, modular designs can be deployed faster and managed more easily in the long term. Automation and programmability — powered by software-defined networking, AIOps and orchestration tools — reduce the grunt work and human error, while built-in security and observability keep you compliant and resilient.

• ALSO READ → AIOps complements platform-oriented security for unrivaled peace of mind

Commercial architecture: How you buy

The commercial architecture defines the financial and contractual models that set out how your network is paid for, scaled and justified in business terms.

• Focus: Opex vs capex; subscription pricing; usage-based billing; ROI models; cost-to-impact visibility
• Drives: Efficiency, agility and stakeholder buy-in (CFO, COO, Chief Product Officer)
• Must enable: Phased investment, risk mitigation and consumption flexibility tied to service and solution design
• Contribution to network maturity: Affordability, scalability and ROI

Solution architecture is the blueprint; commercial architecture is the deal that makes it all possible. It’s about structuring costs, contracts and value.

With flexible, consumption-based models like network as a service, you pay only for what you actually use, when you use it. Budgeting becomes simpler and scaling up (or down) is quick and easy.

Bundling in services and support from the start can also remove some of the risk and speed up procurement because you’re not negotiating 10 different contracts at once. And when you can clearly show total cost of ownership and ROI, you make the CFO’s decision a lot easier.

• ALSO READ → How to modernize your network in 2025

Service architecture: How your network is delivered and supported

Service architecture is all about your operating model — who runs the network, and how it’s monitored, maintained, secured and evolved.

• Focus: SLAs; lifecycle management; AIOps; incident handling; service levels (comanaged or fully managed)
• Drives: Sustainability, continuous improvement and reliability
• Must support: Your network solution’s capabilities and commercial commitments
• Contribution to network maturity: Stability, optimization and efficiency

If solution architecture is the blueprint and commercial architecture is the deal, service architecture is the ongoing maintenance plan that keeps your network running at its best. It’s about making sure your technology remains fast, secure and reliable.

End-to-end managed services are a strategic and practical approach to achieving consistent performance across hybrid and multicloud environments. You don’t have to build a massive in-house operations team, and you get access to global operational platforms with integrated monitoring, ticketing and AI-powered incident response. This means issues can often be spotted and fixed before users even notice something’s wrong.

And when something truly challenging pops up, you know your service provider has the expertise to resolve issues, accelerate fixes or push projects forward.

A harmonized network, right from the start

To reach full network maturity, these three architectures have to work in harmony, and it’s best if you can achieve this from day one rather than after the fact (or work with an expert managed services provider to get it right over time). The solution needs to be operationalized through smart service design, and the commercial model has to make sense in terms of value, risk and growth potential.

When your solution, service and commercial architectures are in sync, your network moves faster, delivers value sooner and keeps optimizing itself over time, no matter how complex your global or hybrid environment becomes.

• ALSO READ → Triple your impact: Modernize cloud, security and network simultaneously