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Enterprises Are Ready to Leverage Network as a Service (NaaS)

Shamus McGillicuddy

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.

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Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

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In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

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Enterprises Are Ready to Leverage Network as a Service (NaaS)

Shamus McGillicuddy

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.

Hot Topics

The Latest

According to Auvik's 2025 IT Trends Report, 60% of IT professionals feel at least moderately burned out on the job, with 43% stating that their workload is contributing to work stress. At the same time, many IT professionals are naming AI and machine learning as key areas they'd most like to upskill ...

Businesses that face downtime or outages risk financial and reputational damage, as well as reducing partner, shareholder, and customer trust. One of the major challenges that enterprises face is implementing a robust business continuity plan. What's the solution? The answer may lie in disaster recovery tactics such as truly immutable storage and regular disaster recovery testing ...

IT spending is expected to jump nearly 10% in 2025, and organizations are now facing pressure to manage costs without slowing down critical functions like observability. To meet the challenge, leaders are turning to smarter, more cost effective business strategies. Enter stage right: OpenTelemetry, the missing piece of the puzzle that is no longer just an option but rather a strategic advantage ...

Amidst the threat of cyberhacks and data breaches, companies install several security measures to keep their business safely afloat. These measures aim to protect businesses, employees, and crucial data. Yet, employees perceive them as burdensome. Frustrated with complex logins, slow access, and constant security checks, workers decide to completely bypass all security set-ups ...

Image
Cloudbrink's Personal SASE services provide last-mile acceleration and reduction in latency

In MEAN TIME TO INSIGHT Episode 13, Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of Research, Network Infrastructure and Operations, at EMA discusses hybrid multi-cloud networking strategy ... 

In high-traffic environments, the sheer volume and unpredictable nature of network incidents can quickly overwhelm even the most skilled teams, hindering their ability to react swiftly and effectively, potentially impacting service availability and overall business performance. This is where closed-loop remediation comes into the picture: an IT management concept designed to address the escalating complexity of modern networks ...

In 2025, enterprise workflows are undergoing a seismic shift. Propelled by breakthroughs in generative AI (GenAI), large language models (LLMs), and natural language processing (NLP), a new paradigm is emerging — agentic AI. This technology is not just automating tasks; it's reimagining how organizations make decisions, engage customers, and operate at scale ...

In the early days of the cloud revolution, business leaders perceived cloud services as a means of sidelining IT organizations. IT was too slow, too expensive, or incapable of supporting new technologies. With a team of developers, line of business managers could deploy new applications and services in the cloud. IT has been fighting to retake control ever since. Today, IT is back in the driver's seat, according to new research by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) ...

In today's fast-paced and increasingly complex network environments, Network Operations Centers (NOCs) are the backbone of ensuring continuous uptime, smooth service delivery, and rapid issue resolution. However, the challenges faced by NOC teams are only growing. In a recent study, 78% state network complexity has grown significantly over the last few years while 84% regularly learn about network issues from users. It is imperative we adopt a new approach to managing today's network experiences ...

Image
Broadcom

From growing reliance on FinOps teams to the increasing attention on artificial intelligence (AI), and software licensing, the Flexera 2025 State of the Cloud Report digs into how organizations are improving cloud spend efficiency, while tackling the complexities of emerging technologies ...