A recent study conducted by managed service provider Daisy Corporate Services found that 69% of UK organizations have experienced an increase in network security threats in the past 18 months. Cyber security threats are now considered the biggest challenge in networking, with 85% attributing the rise in threats to remote and hybrid working.
The State of Networking Report 2024 surveyed 250 IT decision-makers in UK organizations with over 250 employees, revealing that network complexity is causing difficulties and increased costs in network management. The report also highlighted that many organizations are struggling with a patchwork of different supplier technologies, leading to network management issues.
Furthermore, the study showed that cloud application usage in the workplace is putting pressure on networks, with 81% of respondents acknowledging this challenge. Even simple upgrades like transitioning to Wi-Fi 6 are being delayed due to cost concerns, as 60% mentioned that upgrading devices is a barrier.
Despite the need to simplify and update network infrastructure, many organizations are still spending a significant portion of their IT budgets on maintaining legacy hardware. Legacy technology was also shown to impact sustainability goals, as it contributes to overall IT power consumption.
Joel Cunningham, head of connect at Daisy Corporate Services, emphasized the importance of maintaining a secure network boundary in a virtual world and highlighted the benefits of software-defined wide area networking in addressing networking challenges. Cunningham noted that this technology not only optimizes network performance but also enhances security measures, providing organizations with an advantage in combating evolving threats.