Security now the top issue for network managers

Security returns to the top of the list of network manager ‘pain points.’ Conducted earlier in 2013, TheInfoPro study identifies key initiatives of senior networking managers, including market factors and major players.

This annual study is based on extensive live interviews with technology professionals and primary decision-makers at large and midsize enterprises in North America and Europe.

Key trends:

• Network budgets maintain a successful multi-year run of increases, with 2013 seeing 40% of network managers increasing their overall spending.
• The top networking project, taking over from upgrades to the network core in 2012, is the continued rollout and expansion of wireless networking within the enterprise.
• Unified Communications sits atop the voice and video category, as well as much of the study’s technologies as a whole, ranking fourth in the overall heat index.
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet at the network core is quickly becoming the standard, with 75% of enterprises reportedly having rolled it out. Campus-wide rollouts are not far behind, with 64% reporting having it in place and another 6% rolling it out in the short term.

“Network budgets for the majority of network managers continued to climb in 2013, with 40% noting a spending increase over what was a positive 2012,” said Daniel Kennedy, TheInfoPro’s Research Director for Information Security & Networking. “The previous study saw core upgrades as the top project – this year, wireless took the top spot followed by switch upgrades, indicating that the general network refresh is expanding into network campuses.”