5 resolutions for enterprise networking in 2025

1. Raise your network automation game

This might seem odd to start with but in many ways, this is a key rallying point for networking teams. Network automation is hard and it's interrelated to nearly every aspect of network planning and operations.

On the programmability front, enterprise networks lag badly behind cloud and servers, and this must change. It is a well-known issue and teams have been working on it for years -- many for five years or more, according to Enterprise Strategy Group research published in 2024. The good news is that real momentum is building within the Network Automation Forum (NAF) community on structure, requirements and best practices. Check out my summary blog on NAF's AutoCon2 conference this past November for more details.

2. Reassess your network observability approach

Observability really is more than just a new name for monitoring. It carries with it an explicit expectation of completeness, context and actionability. There are three essential dimensions to consider here. First, is the telemetry you are collecting inclusive of metrics, logs and traces? All three are essential to cover and are regularly relevant for correlation and analysis. Second, are you able to add application and business context to the raw observability data you are collecting? This is a huge difference-maker, for recognizing the signal despite the noise and focusing on what issues are most important to address. And third, are you leveraging both passive and active techniques? Passive is great for troubleshooting issues and planning purposes, but active, or synthetic, test is an essential complement for proactively gauging user experience.

3. Invest in networking and security integration

Security continuously leads the list of greatest concerns among networking teams, but oddly, networking rarely leads the list of greatest concerns among security teams. This isn't entirely surprising because security teams are trying to cover a lot of ground, and networking is just one dimension. So, what should enterprise networking teams do? Help out, of course. Make sure you have a good handle on network security lingo and the key capabilities that your networks have available. Look to converging systems like SASE -- arguably an evolution of SD-WAN to improve breadth and depth of security -- and common security policy front ends for complex, multi-cloud networking. Look deeper at your network observability tools (see resolution #2) to see how and where they can help with security objectives. Deploy network automation (see resolution #1) to handle patch management and policy compliance. And finally, open dialogue with the security team to see how else the network can play an optimal role in reducing risk.

4. Get curious about Kubernetes networking

Are you already in conversation with your platform team about helping them establish and manage connectivity within and between Kubernetes clusters? If so, congrats -- you are ahead of the game. For everyone else, take note and seek to open dialogue with your Kubernetes teams, because there is a lot of networking going on within container infrastructures. I got a taste for where things are by attending KubeCon 2024 in November. There are some truly exciting things going on from an automation perspective (see resolution #1), and a lot of buzz around connecting container infrastructure to the bigger, broader network world.  

5. Hang ten on the AI wave

Had to work AI in here somehow. You can thank me later for holding off until #5. But seriously, this is one of the most dynamic trends in IT writ large and needs to be on every networking team's "keep a close eye on this" list. AI technologies are maturing and evolving at an incredible rate, with a huge pipeline of related projects barreling toward production in almost every organization we talk to. Many are upgrading networks in anticipation of AI by building out new data center infrastructure to host learning clusters internally and upgrading access and distribution networks to facilitate data collection and improved latency profiles. In addition, steady advances in applying AI to networking practices continue. This year will likely see the first commercial agentic AI specifically for helping plan, design and operate networks. Bottom line -- study up and always ask how the latest AI developments change what is expected of enterprise networks and how it can also help deliver.

Jim Frey covers networking as principal analyst at Informa TechTarget's Enterprise Strategy Group.

Enterprise Strategy Group is a division of Informa TechTarget. Its analysts have business relationships with technology vendors.