A new study by Broadcom shows that as cloud and internet infrastructures become more integral to business operations, network teams face increased complexity, a lack of visibility, and a shortage of skilled professionals. These challenges are delaying problem resolution and making it harder for organizations to manage their networks effectively.
Indeed, the Broadcom report says that 98% of the organizations are either using or will use cloud infrastructure, while 95% support remote work; thus, both of these increase the network complexity. This, while 80% of survey respondents say that the creation of network blind spots comes from the cloud environments and 78% have seen a significant rise in network complexity over recent years. An amazing 84% of organizations are using five or more network management tools, yet many are still challenged by incomplete or fragmented data that further hampers their ability to resolve issues in a timely manner.
An alarming 84% of respondents report that they first learn about network issues from end users, after performance problems have already impacted customers. This is a truly reactive approach, showing a general lack of proactive visibility, with many teams still using outdated or inadequate tools. Due to this, 64% of respondents reported that their current network management tools are holding them back from adopting new technologies.
In the survey of 505 professionals in networking, operations, and cloud roles, a number of key pain points are identified: cloud environments at 62 percent, scaling challenges at 55 percent, and the lack of skilled workers at 41 percent. These, together with other issues such as false positives, alert storms, and the pressure of supporting remote workers, are contributing to slower issue resolution times.
While some organizations are turning to third-party providers for assistance with network operations, the study notes that this approach doesn't solve the underlying staffing and expertise gaps. Indeed, 65% of respondents currently rely on external resources, but this does not foster the internal skill development required to manage growing network complexity in the long term.
The research also points to several factors impeding the growth of network teams, including budget constraints 75%, a lack of qualified candidates 48%, and internal roadblocks like politics and hiring freezes. These challenges are preventing organizations from expanding their capabilities to manage increasingly complex networks.
In the end, Broadcom's report underlines that addressing workforce shortages and optimizing network management tools is of the highest priority for businesses in order to overcome the blind spots and inefficiencies created by the growing reliance on cloud and internet technologies.