LONDON – Juniper Networks, an industry leader in automated, scalable and secure networks, today announced the results of independent market research that examined the status of network automation projects and strategies across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, as well as the region’s aspirations over the next two years. The research, conducted by IDC in summer 2017, surveyed the automation achievements, attitudes and plans of a diverse range of organizations across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UK.*

Between 58 and 61 percent of respondents indicated that they will adopt network automation in some form across different network areas over the next two years, according to the survey. The results also suggest that network automation is now a strategic business priority for many organizations with 77 percent of respondents confirming that related purchase decisions are being made by their senior IT and network decision makers.

News Highlights:

·         The top three drivers for network automation adoption among the organizations surveyed are improved operational efficiency (43 percent), deployment of innovative services (41 percent) and enhanced security capabilities (34 percent).

·         Considering the specific business benefits delivered by network automation, respondents cite minimized human error (44 percent), reduced CAPEX/OPEX (43 percent) and improved security levels (39 percent), driving a competitive edge as their primary motivation for adoption.

·         Despite the clear advantages perceived by respondents, they also see the need for caution when adopting network automation. The three main inhibitors are security concerns (41 percent), steep learning curves (39 percent) and ‘up-front’ expenses (38 percent).

·         These pros and cons may appear contradictory, which highlights an interesting dichotomy around the perceived business risks and rewards of network automation.

·         In particular, the expectations and concerns attached to automated network security among respondents and the organizations they represent are almost equal. While some are confident that reducing potential human error from security deployment and operation in the network provides greater protection for data and users, others are concerned that automation will mean IT loses control over devices and data that was previously protected.

·         The research results suggest that there is still work to do among organizations in EMEA – 46 percent of respondents said that they feel network automation does not yet adequately fit into their organization’s transformation strategy.

Supporting Quotes

“With the adoption of digital transformation, fueled by 3rd Platform technologies (cloud, mobility, big data and social), many organizations are changing their technology and business from the ground up. Ever higher requirements for speed, scale and security are driving organizations to automate manual processes in their networks, which are the bedrock of digital business. IDC believes that network automation will therefore move steadily up the adoption curve over the next two years or so, but to avoid potential challenges, enterprises should align technical capabilities and business goals carefully and select technology partners with strong, proven automation skills.”

– Chris Barnard, vice president, European Telecoms & Networks at IDC

“This rigorous research from IDC that looks at organizations currently navigating digital transformation aligns perfectly with what we’re hearing and seeing from our customers across the EMEA region. In my experience, the smartest projects are those that factor in network automation as a fundamental part of an organization’s digital transformation infrastructure, enabling dynamic agility and innovation capabilities to be built in and to embrace ongoing system and process change. We are working closely with our customer base to leverage automation as a way to simplify networking and to drive business innovation.”

– Marcus Jewell, senior vice president and general manager EMEA at Juniper Networks

*Source: IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Juniper Networks, Network Automation, September 2017. Methodology: 600 organizations, each comprising 1000+ employees, underwent telephone interviews with IDC during July and August 2017. Organizations surveyed were enterprises (540) and communication service providers (60) located in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UK. Survey respondents were IT management professionals responsible for the design and operation of network and security architecture across data centers, storage and server installations.

© Press Release 2017