Data centers are evolving at an unprecedented pace, placing new pressures on network teams to deliver reliability, performance, and efficiency at scale. As highlighted in The Futurum Group’s latest research, today’s operators must balance rapid growth, new application demands, and rising uptime expectations. The Modern Data Center Network Checklist infographic distills these challenges into clear, actionable requirements—spanning business, architectural, and operational needs—to help organizations modernize their environments using proven approaches and industry best practices.

As architectures standardize around spine–leaf designs and merchant silicon, the strategic differentiators increasingly sit within the Network Operating System, automation stack, and management tools that drive accurate, predictable operations. Modern data center networks must combine robust software architectures (including cloud-native, microservices-based NOS platforms), advanced telemetry, AIOps-powered operations, and mature integration with ITSM systems. The infographic emphasizes how unified tooling, strong design principles, and automation-first workflows help reduce complexity, enhance observability, and improve long-term reliability.

In our latest Infographic, The Modern Data Center Network Checklist, created in partnership with Nokia, Futurum Research outlines the essential requirements organizations should prioritize when building or refreshing their data center networks. These considerations—pulled directly from real operator needs and industry-validated best practices—equip network teams with a blueprint for delivering scalable, resilient, and cost-aligned data center architectures.

In this infographic, you will learn:

• The core business requirements driving modern data center network investments
• Key architectural components including EVPN-VXLAN fabrics, merchant silicon, and microservices NOS design
• The operational capabilities—telemetry, logging, AIOps, open APIs, digital twins—that enable accurate and predictable operations
• How automation-first approaches help reduce manual effort, lower TCO, and improve service quality
• Why unified tools and integrated processes are essential for delivering stable, future-ready outcomes

If you are interested in learning more, be sure to download your copy of The Modern Data Center Network Checklist today.