A smarter network strategy with a leaner IT team

The enterprise IT model is being rewritten in real time. You’re expected to deliver digital innovation at scale, airtight security, and global reach while navigating a stubborn IT talent shortage. But there’s a key element that’s being overlooked: the network. So before you invest in the next big tech initiative, ask yourself: Could your network be holding your business back?

In my experience, getting your network right and making it adaptable to what’s next is the key to unlocking everything else. If you need to deliver more with less, remove roadblocks to transformation, and adapt to the future of networking, then keep reading. 

What does the future of networking look like?

This year’s IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Expereo, Enterprise Horizons 2025, Technology Leaders Priorities: Achieving Digital Agility surveyed 650 global technology leaders and their priorities for the coming 12 months. Their findings give a clear indication of what the future of networking will look like and what needs to change to handle the pressures of a cloud-led, AI-driven digital future.

As the number-one investment area for the majority (43%) of tech leaders, the networking priorities are:

1. Flexibility, scalability, and agility.
2. Resilience and reliability.
3. Application performance (e.g., bandwidth or latency).
4. Network visibility and observability.

However, it’s not as simple as just identifying the problem areas and fixing them. The survey also found that enterprise technology leaders are facing issues in terms of resources and expectations:

• 42% find it difficult to attract or retain tech talent, especially in networking (39%). 
• 33% feel their board has unrealistic expectations of how new technology in general can benefit business performance.

That means smaller teams, bigger stakes, pressure on the network to deliver, and no room for error.

Outdated networks can’t stand in the way of transformation

It’s clear that broader digital transformation needs to start with network transformation first. Trying to achieve your 2025 ambitions on a 2015 network is like racing Formula 1 with flat tires.

According to the IDC InfoBrief, only 8% of enterprises say their networks are fully ready to support their new tech initiatives. Another 52% admit they need upgrades, and a worrying 45% say their networks are already limiting their ability to scale data and AI workloads.

Legacy networks often struggle with:

• Rigid architectures that make it hard to spin up new sites, deploy new services, or adapt to fluctuating bandwidth needs.
• Blind spots in performance monitoring, making it difficult to troubleshoot user experience issues across distributed teams and infrastructure.
• Security silos that complicate compliance and create vulnerabilities in global hybrid deployments.
• Too many vendors that increase complexity and make it very difficult to manage costs.

And it’s not just the infrastructure holding businesses back, it’s the ecosystem around it. Traditional providers come with traditional processes: slow-moving, hard to pivot, and are rarely cost-efficient. To break free from these constraints, enterprises need more than a patchwork of incremental fixes. 

Getting there takes more than good tech. It takes smart execution.

A truly fit-for-purpose network that can meet the needs of a leaner, smarter future should be configured and structured around:

• Compliant data: Data sovereignty and compliance by region, embedded from the design stage, not retrofitted after the fact.
• Simplified management: Platform-enabled centralized visibility, like Expereo’s own expereoOne, give a single-pane-of-glass view across global sites, services, and performance. Eliminating the headaches of fragmented tooling and manual oversight.
• Optimized performance: Get the bandwidth you need, where you need it. Intelligent solutions, like SD-WAN, adapt to application demands, so your performance doesn’t slow users down. Additionally, solutions like Enhanced Internet ensure your application traffic is always routed across the best-performing path.
• Network automation: Instead of manually configuring routers, provisioning services, or responding to performance issues after they happen, automation and integration allows teams to define intent once and execute it consistently across the network.
• Future-proof security: With employees, apps, and data spread across regions and clouds, centralized policy enforcement is a must because the future of network security is in the cloud. Invest in cloud-native security models like SASE and flexible connectivity that scales on demand.
• Ensuring resilience to minimize downtime: A smarter network is engineered for reliability with technology diversity built in. Overreliance on fixed lines makes downtime inevitable. Today’s resilient networks tap into the future of wireless networks, using  Fixed Wireless Access or Low Earth Orbit satellite connectivity for always-on continuity.

It’s not just the network. It’s how you build it and with whom.

With talent shortages impacting almost every area of IT, it could be slowing down your progress. According to IDC, one in five tech leaders (19%) believe a “lack of resources, skills, or development capabilities” is the most serious challenge to executing digital initiatives in their organization.

If you’re also finding it challenging to find the talent you need to execute on transformation initiatives, optimize existing systems or just manage day-to-day operations, you are not alone. IDC has identified that 45% of technology leaders expect to increase their use of external vendors to bridge the networking skills gap in the next 12 months. Allowing them access to the skills, expertise, and resources they need to execute on critical digital programs.

My advice for enterprise technology leaders seeking external support for their networks: choose a Managed Service Provider that understands your technology, knows your regional requirements, and works as a true extension of your lean IT team. The right partner will bring global reach, local support, and the ability to pivot fast, because transformation waits for no one.

Navigate the future of networking

Networking is increasingly being seen not just as infrastructure, but as a foundation for innovation. At Expereo, we work with enterprises to simplify their networks, helping them improve resilience, performance, and adaptability.

You remain in control with complete visibility of your entire network estate down to site level via our Intelligent Internet platform, expereoOne. From procurement to performance monitoring, we give you the tools to act fast, scale smart, and lead boldly.

Get in touch today to explore how our connectivity solutions can support your lean, ambitious IT team, and help you stay ahead in a world that won’t slow down.