Is 2022 the year of Network as a Service?
If you’re asking the question whether 2022 is the year of Network as a Service (NaaS) then you’re already behind. NaaS is already here. And it’s shaping a more stable connection for millions of organisations around the globe in reaction to the last 18 months or so. As our demands for agility have increased in response to market changes, NaaS has taken centre stage.
What is Network as a Service (NaaS)?
NaaS is a dynamic shift for network operation that takes away the CapEx expenditures and delivers on flexibility and scalability without all the ownership & maintenance issues of the past. According to Cisco, “NaaS can replace hardware-centric VPNs, load balancers, firewall appliances, and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) connections. Users can scale up and down as demand changes, rapidly deploy services, and eliminate hardware costs.” It also means that suppliers are responding to threats and vulnerabilities in near-real-time for a more robust and secure service than what’s available natively. Lastly, they can also ensure organisations can adopt the latest advancements such as Wi-Fi 6, 5G, SASE and more.
What’s its market position and key drivers?
According to ZDNet, there’s still uncertainty and varying opinions on the value of NaaS. Organisations are embracing it at a fast rate. NaaS adoption is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 40.7% from 2021 through 2027. For that reason, Cisco focused its 2022 Global Networking Trends Report on NaaS adoption. The report is based on a survey of 20 IT leaders and 1,534 IT professionals in 13 countries.
Network resiliency is top of mind for IT teams, the Cisco report shows: 45% say responding to disruptions is the top network challenge of 2021, while 40% cited accommodating new business needs.
Also ranking highly were security, scalability, and ability to roll out the latest networking tech at launch. In fact, the only barrier to entry was the cost of deployment and concerns over NaaS’s ability to cope with unexpected demands. This is something an organisation can weather with the help of an expert advanced networking installation partner like MLR Networks.
Why 2022?
Over the last two years we have placed new and heavier loads on networks. Consequently, operators and organisations are now looking to cut costs, diversify their suppliers, make more use of existing infrastructure, and really stretch to reach the demands of a more home-based, dispersed workforce. In fact, TechRepublic states, “A Cisco survey of IT professionals found that NaaS is increasingly being seen as a way to avoid future COVID-like disruptions, simplify IT and help IT teams create more value for their companies” – heralding 2022 as the year of Network as a Service resoundingly.
Need help deploying NaaS in 2022 for your organisation? Talk to our team today.