Networks Getting Younger as Organisations start to Embrace Workplace Mobility, IoT, and Software-Defined Networking Strategies
Announcement posted by Watterson 09 Nov 2016
The number of enterprises with at least one security vulnerability is the highest in five years
SYDNEY – 9 November 2016 - Enterprises across the globe are refreshing their network equipment earlier in its lifecycle in a move to embrace workplace mobility, Internet of Things, and software-defined networking strategies. In addition, their equipment refresh is more strategic, with architectural vision in mind. But despite the higher refresh rate, networks are getting less secure, largely due to neglected patching.
These are some of the highlights in the annual Network Barometer Report today by Dimension Data. First published in 2009, the 2016 Network Barometer Report was compiled from data gathered from 300,000 service incidents logged for client networks that Dimension Data supports. Dimension Data also carried out 320 technology lifecycle management assessments covering 97,000 network devices in organisations of all sizes and all industry sectors across 28 countries.
Andre van Schalkwyk, Senior Practice Manager Network Consulting, Dimension Data said, “Since 2010, networks had been ageing. This year’s Report reverses that trend, and for the first time in five years, we’re seeing networks age more slowly.
“Ageing networks are not necessarily a bad thing: companies just need to understand the implications. They require a different support construct, with gradually increasing support costs. On the other hand, this also means that organisations can delay refresh costs,” says van Schalkwyk, and points out that ageing networks are unlikely to support initiatives such as software-defined networking and automation, or handle traffic volumes necessary for collaboration or cloud.
According to the Report, in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Australia enterprises’ network age reduced in line with the global average, while in the Americas, the number of ageing and obsolete devices decreased much faster, from 60 per cent in the 2015 Report to 29 per cent in the 2016 Report. This can be attributed to the release of pent-up spend following four years of financial constraint. Van Schalkwyk said clients in the Americas appear to be refreshing networks with the new generation of programmable infrastructure. In Asia-Pacific and Australia, equipment refresh occurred as part of data centre network redesigns.
In contrast to the global trend, in Middle East and Africa, the network age increased, possibly the result of economic uncertainty, particularly in South Africa.
Meanwhile, of the 97,000 network devices that Dimension Data discovered, the number of devices that have at least one known ¹security vulnerability increased from 60 per cent in the 2015 Report to 76 per cent in the 2016 Report – the highest figure in five years.
In Europe the rise in network vulnerabilities has been very steep over the last three years, hiking from 26 per cent in 2014 to 51 per cent in 2015 and to 82 per cent in the 2016 Report. Network vulnerability has also risen in organisations in the Middle East and Africa over the last three years. In Australia, 87 per cent of network devices have at least one known vulnerability. In Asia-Pacific and the Americas, networks are slightly less vulnerable - respectively 49 per cent and 66 per cent, compared to 61 per cent and 73 per cent in the previous edition.
Other highlights in the 2016 Network Barometer Report include:
For more about the 2016 Network Barometer Report click here
¹A security advisory is a notice issued by a manufacturer that they are aware of a security vulnerability on one of their products.
-ENDS-
About Dimension Data
Dimension Data uses the power of technology to help organisations achieve great things in the digital era. As a member of the NTT Group, we accelerate our clients’ ambitions through digital infrastructure, hybrid cloud, workspaces for tomorrow, and cybersecurity. With a turnover of USD 7.5 billion, offices in 58 countries, and 31,000 employees, we deliver wherever our clients are, at every stage of their technology journey. We’re proud to be the Official Technology Partner of Amaury Sport Organisation, which owns the Tour de France, and the title partner of the cycling team, Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka. Visit us at http://www.dimensiondata.com
Dorothy Kennedy | Senior Consultant
Watterson Marketing Communications
Phone +61 2 9929 7533 | Mob +61 451 692 989
Email dorothy.kennedy@watterson.com.au
These are some of the highlights in the annual Network Barometer Report today by Dimension Data. First published in 2009, the 2016 Network Barometer Report was compiled from data gathered from 300,000 service incidents logged for client networks that Dimension Data supports. Dimension Data also carried out 320 technology lifecycle management assessments covering 97,000 network devices in organisations of all sizes and all industry sectors across 28 countries.
Andre van Schalkwyk, Senior Practice Manager Network Consulting, Dimension Data said, “Since 2010, networks had been ageing. This year’s Report reverses that trend, and for the first time in five years, we’re seeing networks age more slowly.
“Ageing networks are not necessarily a bad thing: companies just need to understand the implications. They require a different support construct, with gradually increasing support costs. On the other hand, this also means that organisations can delay refresh costs,” says van Schalkwyk, and points out that ageing networks are unlikely to support initiatives such as software-defined networking and automation, or handle traffic volumes necessary for collaboration or cloud.
According to the Report, in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Australia enterprises’ network age reduced in line with the global average, while in the Americas, the number of ageing and obsolete devices decreased much faster, from 60 per cent in the 2015 Report to 29 per cent in the 2016 Report. This can be attributed to the release of pent-up spend following four years of financial constraint. Van Schalkwyk said clients in the Americas appear to be refreshing networks with the new generation of programmable infrastructure. In Asia-Pacific and Australia, equipment refresh occurred as part of data centre network redesigns.
In contrast to the global trend, in Middle East and Africa, the network age increased, possibly the result of economic uncertainty, particularly in South Africa.
Meanwhile, of the 97,000 network devices that Dimension Data discovered, the number of devices that have at least one known ¹security vulnerability increased from 60 per cent in the 2015 Report to 76 per cent in the 2016 Report – the highest figure in five years.
In Europe the rise in network vulnerabilities has been very steep over the last three years, hiking from 26 per cent in 2014 to 51 per cent in 2015 and to 82 per cent in the 2016 Report. Network vulnerability has also risen in organisations in the Middle East and Africa over the last three years. In Australia, 87 per cent of network devices have at least one known vulnerability. In Asia-Pacific and the Americas, networks are slightly less vulnerable - respectively 49 per cent and 66 per cent, compared to 61 per cent and 73 per cent in the previous edition.
Other highlights in the 2016 Network Barometer Report include:
- The percentage of devices supporting IPv6 rose steeply from 21 per cent last year to 41 per cent this year, due to the increase in current devices in networks. This allows organisations with newer networks to support their digitisation strategies by enabling connectivity for the Internet of Things, big data, analytics, and containerisation.
- Software-defined networking is coming soon, but not just yet. While there is market interest in software-defined networks, it’s early in the adoption cycle and today, few organisational networks are capable of supporting a software-defined approach. In 2015 less than 0.4 per cent of devices could support software-defined WAN and only 1.3 per cent of data centre switches were SDN-ready.
- Incident response is 69 per cent faster, and repair time 32 per cent faster networks monitored by Dimension Data.
- 37 per cent of incidents are caused by configuration or human error, which can be avoided with proper monitoring, configuration management, and automation.
For more about the 2016 Network Barometer Report click here
¹A security advisory is a notice issued by a manufacturer that they are aware of a security vulnerability on one of their products.
-ENDS-
About Dimension Data
Dimension Data uses the power of technology to help organisations achieve great things in the digital era. As a member of the NTT Group, we accelerate our clients’ ambitions through digital infrastructure, hybrid cloud, workspaces for tomorrow, and cybersecurity. With a turnover of USD 7.5 billion, offices in 58 countries, and 31,000 employees, we deliver wherever our clients are, at every stage of their technology journey. We’re proud to be the Official Technology Partner of Amaury Sport Organisation, which owns the Tour de France, and the title partner of the cycling team, Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka. Visit us at http://www.dimensiondata.com
Dorothy Kennedy | Senior Consultant
Watterson Marketing Communications
Phone +61 2 9929 7533 | Mob +61 451 692 989
Email dorothy.kennedy@watterson.com.au