Arelion study reveals shrinking confidence in network investment decisions

A recent Arelion report reveals that confidence in network investment decisions is fading.

The report, “Doubt, delay and regret: How global disruptors are impacting enterprise networks,” purports that 87 percent of network decision-makers are “a little or a lot less confident” in the network investment decisions that they make, a trend Arelion chalks up to macroeconomic disruption.

The study, conducted by Savanta in the first half of 2024, questioned 545 industry representatives in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany about the key disruptive forces that have impacted their networks in recent years.

Arelion says enterprise decision-makers report technological change, rising costs, and climate change as the most disruptive influences on network decisions.

Mattias Fridström, Chief Evangelist at Arelion, said in a press release, “The findings of our research suggest that, over the last three years, enterprise network decision-makers are reeling from the effects of excessive change and disruption. They admit they’re feeling the heat.”

Fridström reported that almost half of decision-makers regret networking decisions they’ve made in the past.

The report also revealed decision-makers’ feelings towards AI: 92 percent plan to use AI-based tools and systems to support network management within the next 18 months, half of which will do so within six months.

The chief use of AI, according to respondents, will likely be security. Leaders responded that DDoS attacks and sponsored cyber-attacks concern them most.

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