An increase in innovation in enterprise IT is changing how companies manage every aspect of their business. At the core of this revolution is the rise of cloud computing, which is among the most significant transformations since the launch of the internet.
Before cloud computing technology was available, businesses had to manage their network and resources on-premises, with employees working from one site-centric location. Today, the IT industry is seeing a massive increase in organizations adopting cloud services that use private clouds, which are created independently and used by a single organization.
As for employees, we are seeing an increase of over 16% of global companies fully employing remote workers on the go and thus make the adoption of the cloud a requirement for organizations moving forward.
The global cloud computing market is estimated to be worth over $300 billion by 2022. Cloud computing has transformed IT offerings for organizations with cost-effective, scalable solutions to the various needs of the IT teams. Further, it has proven to be a critical stepping stone for the future of how organizations adopt cloud-based networks.
The use of cloud network services is universal—we’ve seen this rise over the past decade to the point where many of our organizations couldn’t function today without the cloud.
The ability to quickly upload resources, adopt new applications, and respond in real-time to end users’ tickets allows organizations to compete effectively in today’s ever-changing marketplace. Critical to cloud adoption growth is the understanding that sensitive data now lives in the cloud and must be protected.
The cloud also introduces a different set of risks that need to be understood properly in order to prevent potential cyber. The expansion of cloud services being implemented by organizations means that it can be confusing to clearly understand where and which data is being exposed to risk.
Storing data without encryption and lack of multi-factor authentication for access can lead to loss of intellectual property, loss of management control, exposure to malware, compliance violations, massive data breaches with customers and partners and ultimately loss of customer trust and loss of revenue.
As we learned in the Capital One data breach, we need a clear understanding of which cloud services are being used and which data is being uploaded in order to implement specific security policies.
Organizations that introduce company-wide identity access policies provide another layer of security for their employees and their customer’s data. This is where the idea of Network as a Service is introduced.
To understand if Network as a Service is the right solution for your organization, we need to understand what it actually is and why it’s the modern solution for cloud network security.
Network as a Service is the model of delivering enterprise network services virtually on a subscription basis. Configuring and operating business networks and protocols routers can be time-consuming and complicated. With Network as a Service (NaaS), the entire network operations can be handled by a third-party service provider, such as Perimeter 81.
Small to midsize businesses are the classic NaaS buyers, however, with the rise of SaaS and other service models, enterprises and large organizations are becoming more interested in the network model. NaaS can also be appealing to new business owners because there is no need for a large investment for traditional network hardware.
This model also reduces the amount of staff time required to maintain the network and reduces the level of training and skill required of network staff.
In the NaaS business model, IT Security teams can manage the organization’s network through a portal rather than through network management tools and out of date hardware. A new virtual network can be added to the organization’s WAN by connecting it to the NaaS provider’s nearest point of presence (POP) either directly through a leased line to a nearby data center or over the internet.
Now that we’ve explained the advantages of a Network as a Service, read on to find out how this particular model can benefit your organization.
Network as a Service will become the ideal business model for delivering scalable network services using a subscription-based application and enables vendors to scale the service by the customer needs and add new functionality and features on-demand.
Additionally, businesses can easily deploy custom routing and user access protocols. Further, by modifying the content of the network, businesses can efficiently implement advanced network services, such as in-network data aggregation, redundancy elimination and more.
Here are some key benefits when implementing a NaaS for your business:
Reduced Costs Implementing a Network as a Service reduces many IT costs including infrastructure, hardware, software, operations, and maintenance. The lowered expenses are due not only to outsourcing but also to the knowledge and expertise that NaaS providers can bring to the table. The right NaaS partner can make the transitional period as smooth as possible, minimizing expenses and mistakes as you implement new processes and equipment.
Continuous Maintenance Network as a Service provides a continuous monitoring service to ensure that threats are easily preventable, and notifications can often be configured so that major issues can be identified and resolved.
Enhanced Security With Network as a Service, service providers can protect and secure sensitive data, applications, and resources.
Increased Levels of Uptime Many Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are created with managed network service providers that guarantee levels of their availability, network uptime, and response and resolving services for addressing network issues. Employing a Network as a Service with a reputable provider is an easy way to ensure these service level guarantees, and provide organizations with confidence that they have a dependable and stable communications system.
Software-defined wide area networks have opened new opportunities for network service providers to offer Network as a Service to more enterprise businesses. While organizations today are expanding globally, relying on data and applications on the cloud and driven by the mobile workforce, SD-WAN is addressing the right IT needs.
This new network service approach allows security vendors to provide one network with one security framework for all users and applications, which makes IT leaner, more agile. While a software-defined wide area network has played as a strong variable with today’s evolution of the wide-area network, it has successfully encouraged businesses to adopt Network as a Service by bringing a new vision for networking and security to today’s business.
When looking into the future of Network as a Service, another phase is now developing. While still being defined, some of the attributes that are emerging include the expansion of running Network as a Service workload in public clouds.
The transition of running cloud services in the public cloud domain will likely be a gradual process, but there is already an initial demand for this capability for applications. The attraction here is that the public cloud is well-suited to deliver any service that requires cloud computing.
As a result, future phases of NaaS will continue to expand with the increasing adoption of cloud services. Every business will have its own strategy for migrating to the internet. However, given the fact that Network as a Service is always evolving with the cloud, IT managers will have a lot of different network options moving forward.
We hope you found this post helpful! If you’d like to learn more about the many advantages of a Zero Trust Network as a Service, check out our blog 5 Non-Disruptive Tips to Get Started with Zero Trust Network Security.
