Network as a Service Adoption to Accelerate by 38% Within the Next Two Years as Businesses Adapt to COVID-19

Businesses will experience profound changes as employees transition to hybrid work environments following COVID-19, in turn changing the way IT teams procure and consume networking solutions. In response to the pandemic, IT leaders are now investing more in cloud-based and AI-powered networking technologies as business recovery plans take shape. That’s according to a global survey of 2,400 IT decision-makers (ITDMs) commissioned by Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company.

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In response to COVID-19, 38% of IT leaders plan to increase their investment in cloud-based networking, and 35% in AI-based networking, as they seek a more agile infrastructure for hybrid work environments. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Read the full report: https://www.arubanetworks.com/assets/eo/Hybrid-Workplace-Report.pdf

As IT leaders respond to the challenges associated with enabling a highly distributed workforce and the emergence of the hybrid workplace – with people needing to move seamlessly between working on campus, at home and on the road – they are looking to evolve their network infrastructure and shift away from CapEx investments towards solutions consumed “as a service.” The average proportion of IT services consumed via subscription will accelerate by 38% in the next two years, from 34% of the total today to 46% in 2022, and the share of organizations that consume a majority (over 50%) of their IT solutions “as a service” will increase by approximately 72% in that time.

“With the emergence of the hybrid workplace, IT leaders are being asked to deliver a delicate balance between flexibility, security and affordability at the edge,” said Partha Narasimhan, CTO and HPE Senior Fellow for Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. “Every part of the workplace needs to evolve: the campus must be embedded with technology to support social distancing and contactless experiences, and the home office must offer enterprise-level connectivity, security and support. It’s increasingly clear that, to support these new needs in a financially challenging environment, IT decision-makers are attracted to the reduced risk and cost advantages offered by a subscription model.”