Cloud computing transformed the IT industry by delivering software and infrastructure as a service, allowing customers to offload capital expenditures and operational overhead around software, software development platforms, security, compute, and storage. The cloudification of networking was slower in coming, but the concept of network as a service (NaaS) — which until now was a loosely defined term to describe a variety of networking solutions delivered via a cloud-like service model — earned more prominence in recent years.
Numerous vendors and service providers have recently embraced the NaaS concept, yet there is still no industry consensus on its definition or the types of networks it involves. Furthermore, providers have varied in how they define the NaaS service delivery model. I conducted research for a new report, Network as a Service: Understanding the Cloud Consumption Model in Networking, to refine the concept of NaaS and reduce buyer confusion over what it is and how it can offer value.
For this research survey, I defined NaaS for survey participants as the following: A network infrastructure solution that offers a cloud consumption model (pay as you go) in which the NaaS provider can manage all aspects of network engineering and operations, from design and build to monitoring and troubleshooting.
Some of the key findings from this report include:
■ Most respondents associated NaaS with cloud and WAN interconnectivity, SD-WAN and SASE, and WAN connectivity; only 28% associated NaaS with campus networking.
■ IT organizations believe a NaaS offering should include integrated managed security services, cloud-like consumption of services, comprehensive observability, and APIs and integrations with other IT systems.
■ 64% prefer a hybrid operating model for NaaS solutions, in which the provider and the internal network team share responsibility for day monitoring troubleshooting, and ongoing management.
This research found that most companies are interested in consuming NaaS solutions in all aspects of their network, from the campus to the cloud. But decision-makers do have concerns about NaaS.
First, they believe the shift from CapEx to OpEx could lead to higher total cost of ownership over time, much like the public cloud.
Second, they worry that they'll lose visibility into service quality.
Finally, as with any disruptive technology, many stakeholders worry about the security risk of consuming networks in this way.