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Morten Illum , Vice President , EMEA , Aruba
Jacob Chacko , Regional Director , Middle
East , Saudi and South Africa , Aruba
Over three quarters ( 82 %) of companies agree that having the flexibility to scale their network based on business needs is key to their interest , and 43 % see it as a potential game changer in how they are able to manage activities . Meanwhile , less than half ( 48 %) are looking at NaaS to help them reduce IT staff levels – instead believing it will free up team time for innovation and strategic initiatives ( 42 %).
Barriers to success
The appetite for NaaS is evident . Unfortunately , the road towards implementation looks less clear , with the survey identifying a number of key barriers .
On the surface it appears that internal processes may be the issue . Among the top concerns identified by technology leaders in MESA were budget rules and investment cycles ( 80 %), redeploying talent and skills ( 52 %) and finding the budget ( 52 %).
However , a deeper dive into the data reveals a much more fundamental barrier : a lack of overall understanding of NaaS .
While 100 % of technology leaders across the broader Europe , Middle East and Africa ( EMEA ) region said they are familiar with NaaS as a term , only two in five claim to fully understand what it means . Even among the EMEA companies discussing NaaS on frequent basis , only 46 % of technology leaders claim full understanding .
And this education gap is also evident in the perception of NaaS ’ s viability . Only 7 % of technology leaders in MESA currently see NaaS as an established and viable solution . The remainder either consider it to be a concept looking for a market ( 41 %) or in its early beginnings ( 52 %).
“ As we emerge from the pandemic , the need for agility and flexibility in network management is greater than ever ,” said Morten Illum , Vice President , EMEA , Aruba .
“ We know that NaaS can ensure the critical flexibility needed by businesses as they look to recovery and beyond , as well as solve a range of issues from security and scalability to budget and team constraints . However , in order for businesses to unlock the potential of NaaS , we must focus on bridging the gap between awareness and knowledge .”
Jacob Chacko , Regional Director , Middle East , Saudi and South Africa , Aruba , said , “ As device counts grow , endpoints diversify , and connectivity demands increase , planning a network and keeping up with change can be overwhelming . Enterprises need the flexibility of cloud agility , security , scale , and compliance from their network – which is what NaaS provides .” p
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