Of the 250 business organizations surveyed in Asia Pacific for the recent A10 Networks survey, a staggering 95% expressed deep concern about all aspects of enterprise digital resilience.
A10 Networks’ recent research reveals the challenges and priorities facing business organizations in today’s post-pandemic era as we learn to live with the COVID-19 pandemic and how it shapes future technology requirements.
In general, the greatest concerns have been optimizing security tools to ensure competitive advantage and deliver a superior user experience where customers can access their ecosystem easily and securely.
Furthermore, organizations were very concerned about their internal capacity to maintain IPv4 and migrate to IPv6, showing the importance of balancing security and efficiency.
Preference for private cloud Increased network traffic has increased the challenges for respondents: 81% of business organizations in Asia-Pacific report an increase in network traffic in the past 12 months. This increase averaged 39% compared to the global average of 47%.
When asked about the expected outages of their future network environment, 75% of Asia-Pacific business organizations said it would be cloud-based, with 33% citing private cloud as their preferred environment. However, they have not been reassured by their cloud service providers, with 48% reporting that they cannot meet their SLAs.
The undeniable increase in cyber threats
Undoubtedly, the increasing threat landscape is a cause for concern: Compared to other areas, respondents in Asia-Pacific were more concerned about the loss of data and sensitive assets in the event of a data breach due to a cyber-attack.
Other concerns include ransomware, potential downtime or lockdown in the event of a DDoS attack, and the impact this would have on the brand and reputation. In response to these concerns, the survey showed a clear shift towards zero-trust approaches, with 39% of Asia-Pacific business organizations saying they had already adopted a zero-trust model in the past 12 months.
The reality of today’s world
While there has been an infrastructure shift to support distributed home and remote work, 63% of Asia-Pacific business organizations say all or most employees will work in the office in the long run, compared to an average of 62% in all regions surveyed.
This contrasts with predictions of a sweeping shift to a perpetual hybrid enterprise, with application and network professionals expecting the old normal to reassert itself.
Anthony Webb, International Vice President of A10 Networks, said: “The world has irrevocably changed. The pace of digital transformation has accelerated beyond expectations. However, as we emerge from crisis mode, organizations are now focusing on digital resilience, moving to the cloud and bolstering their defenses.
“There is a clear need to help employees work how they feel most comfortable. And we are seeing a gradual shift towards zero trust models. The return to the office environment may be due to IT professionals’ high level of concern. About security, the cloud, and aspects of digital resilience and continuity, as well as the ability of their IT systems to handle them.”
Companies are tightening investment priorities.
Regarding investment priorities, artificial intelligence and machine learning have undoubtedly matured, with 52% of Asia-Pacific enterprise organizations saying they have implemented these technologies in the past 12 months.
Furthermore, 45% say they have implemented blockchain technologies, and 42% say they have deployed IoT devices to help business functions.
Interestingly, when asked which technology will be most critical to business resilience in the coming year, metaverse technologies ranked highest, followed by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain technologies. In the future, the adoption of cybersecurity initiatives is likely to increase, including zero trust models.
Webb says: “With escalating threats, post-pandemic fallout, the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, not to mention soaring energy prices and inflation.
“Business organizations need to think about a lot of issues. To address these issues, companies must continue investing in modern technologies, such as zero trust, that enable automation and protection, along with a balance of defense and agility for an increasingly out-of-the-ordinary infrastructure. multiple factors.”
