Most (80%) of decision-makers globally find digital infrastructure essential or mission-critical to achieving business goals.¹ IDC’s FutureScape report finds that by 2026, 65% of tech buyers will invest in as-a-service consumption models, aiming to improve infrastructure, reduce IT spending and fill IT talent gaps.²

As-a-service offerings, which are already popular, will continue to reach new, unprecedented heights. At a global level, Statista expects the market to grow from $18.70 billion in 2023 to $155.17 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 35.3%.³ The desire for key benefits drives this growth, including greater flexibility, shifting from a CapEX to an OpEx payment plan, reducing the burden on in-house staff, and tapping into additional expertise.⁴ There's no denying the immense opportunity of NaaS for every industry.

In any organisation, networks enable the fundamental flow and access of data, information and communications. Modernising infrastructure with network-as-a-service (NaaS) solutions represents the next generation of networking capabilities, empowering business operations and security and providing a foundation that can adapt to changing needs and advancing tech.

Until recently, organisations have expressed concern over NaaS despite its proposed benefits. Putting critical business infrastructure into the hands of a third-party vendor, security risks, and skills gaps have been top points of worry. However, recent months have shown notable advancements in service offerings, integration capabilities, and security measures to alleviate these causes of concern and allow the benefits of NaaS to come through in earnest.

Advancements in 5G, edge computing, integration capabilities, cloud, wide area networks (WAN) and virtual private networks (VPN) have empowered NaaS solutions, showcased in numerous use cases.

Underpinning NaaS, cloud computing offers scalability, effectiveness, implementation, mobility and disaster recovery at scale. In addition, wide area network (WAN) advancements have been propelled by remote and hybrid working needs, illustrating how disparate locations and regions can still operate as one. Meanwhile, SD-WAN and virtualised infrastructure accommodate the rise of connected devices and operations without expensive overheads and hardware spending.

From here, the frequently realised benefits include:

● Reduced and predictable costs

● Proactive maintenance and reduced downtime

● Service level agreements to guarantee quality of service

● Maximised performance and optimised systems for greater productivity, and

● Potential for ongoing improvements.

These improvements allow business leaders to shift their focus from network architecture to achieving desired outcomes. Modern business requirements, such as security, collaborative workloads, and user experience, are not only considered but define what great NaaS is.

The benefits of NaaS play out across an array of use cases. In healthcare, NaaS provides the means to connect rural branches and provide care to even those far from a central hub. In the case of a merger or acquisition, it can simplify internal policies and access rules or firewall requirements across departments. It can also reduce the cost of hardware refreshes, which is especially useful as equipment costs increase.

A crucial aspect of any technology investment is security and functionality. High-quality NaaS offerings will enable users to spin up security or virtual network functions on demand. This brings together the best of both worlds - connectivity and peace of mind that data and operations are secure.

With NaaS, organisations benefit from support with hardware, software and firmware. Solutions can be scalable, advanced functions can be delegated to the provider of choice, and expenses can be reduced.

Singtel CUBΣ offers a powerful unified suite of networking services and partners. With highly valuable and tailor-made solutions, users effectively modernise their network infrastructure and get the most out of digitalisation.

We've designed our offering to be simple and straightforward, enabling easy management of services and vendors while also providing actionable insights into how your network is functioning.

Choose Singtel to establish your foundation for future innovation opportunities.