Cisco’s latest Global Networking Trends report has revealed that in the next two years, companies will be enhancing their networking infrastructures and capabilities to maximize efficiency with limited resources, fundamentally changing how networks contribute to overall business success.
The research, conducted in November 2023 in partnership with IDC, gathered responses from over 2,052 IT professionals across 13 markets and 10 industries. It focused on the top networking challenges, IT and business priorities, architectural advancements, and future investment strategies of professionals in various sectors.
The report highlighted three key themes: the importance of a centralized network management platform for enhanced visibility, connectivity, and security in a landscape that includes public clouds, private clouds, and on-premise workloads; the increasing emphasis on cybersecurity with AI-generated insights to combat threats; and the use of AI to modernize infrastructures for AI workloads and more efficient data centers.
Additionally, the report identified five strategic areas for driving digital business, including architecture transformation, converging network and security technologies, automation through AI-enabled approaches, datacenter infrastructure modernization, and sustainability advancement. These strategic areas are expected to play a crucial role in shaping the future of networking and business operations.
Jonathan Davidson, executive vice president and general manager of Cisco Networking, emphasized the importance of innovative technologies like cloud and AI in transforming networks for the better, highlighting the crucial role that networks play in supporting and enabling such advancements.