The total cost of ownership (TCO) for a modern data center network is increasingly defined by what happens after deployment. While Day 0 planning and Day 1 implementation receive significant attention and funding, Day 2 operations—the ongoing management and optimization of the network—dominate long-term costs and outcomes. A data center network is a mission-critical foundation for enterprise performance, digital transformation, and infrastructure resilience. Without a strong Day 2 strategy, organizations face rising operational expenses, increased risk of outage, and reduced network reliability.
Despite this reality, a large percentage of organizations continue to underinvest in Day 2 network operations. Gartner estimates that over 60 percent of enterprises lack a comprehensive strategy for Day 2 operations, resulting in gaps across essential areas such as monitoring, automation, observability, and compliance management. The reasons for this vary—budget limitations, a focus on completing initial deployment milestones, or a belief that existing IT teams can manage ongoing operations without dedicated tools. This approach can result in performance degradation, extended downtime and increased security risk due to the absence of proactive network management.
Day 2 operations encompass all activities required to keep a data center network secure, optimized, and functional after deployment. These include continuous monitoring and telemetry, automated fault detection, configuration and compliance management, software patching, and capacity planning. Day 2 is the phase in which the operational burden increases dramatically as the network becomes more complex and distributed. Without dedicated Day 2 operations software or platforms, networks become difficult to scale and prone to instability. Over time, this leads to operational inefficiencies, technical debt, and higher TCO.
According to Gartner, Day 0 and Day 1 costs—such as hardware procurement, network design, and initial setup—account for only 30 to 50 percent of the total cost of ownership over a five-year period. In contrast, Day 2 operations represent 50 to 70 percent of that total. These costs are driven by manual troubleshooting, lifecycle maintenance, change management, and the need to retain highly skilled network engineering resources. As businesses evolve, the pressure to modernize network operations with scalable, intelligent platforms becomes unavoidable.
To address these challenges, enterprises are increasingly turning to automation and AI-powered tools that transform Day 2 from a reactive burden into a proactive advantage. Network automation streamlines repetitive tasks such as provisioning, policy enforcement, and compliance checks, reducing human error and freeing up staff for strategic initiatives. Meanwhile, AI capabilities enable predictive analytics to identify patterns, forecast performance bottlenecks, and detect early signs of hardware or configuration failure. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 50 percent of enterprises will automate their Day 2 operations using AI—a dramatic rise from under 10 percent in 2023.
Visibility and operational simplicity are foundational to achieving Day 2 network operations efficiency. Real-time telemetry and intelligent dashboards allow IT teams to quickly identify anomalies, enforce consistent policies, and make informed decisions that support uptime and security. Without visibility, change control becomes risky, and troubleshooting becomes inefficient. Simplicity, on the other hand, reduces operational overhead by eliminating architectural complexity. Platforms such as Arista CloudVision and Cisco Nexus Dashboard are helping organizations streamline Day 2 operations through centralized observability, intent-based configuration and integrated automation workflows.
Ultimately, the long-term value of a data center network is determined not by how it is built but by how it is run. Enterprises prioritizing Day 2 operations through AI, automation, visibility and simplified architectures will lower their TCO, increase operational reliability, and future-proof their infrastructure for ongoing business agility. In a world where uptime, performance and security are directly tied to network health, investing in Day 2 capabilities is no longer optional—it is essential.
WWT has the expertise to ensure that you choose the right Day 2 platform for your data center.
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