Nordic Enterprises Want More Network Flexibility as They Move to the Cloud

ISG Provider Lens™ report finds Nordic companies using SDN technologies for more stable cloud connectivity

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, July 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enterprises in the Nordic region are turning to software-defined networking (SDN) technologies to increase their agility and make their networks more flexible as they move workloads to the cloud, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Network – Software Defined Solutions and Services Partners Report for the Nordics finds enterprises in the region embracing SDN technologies as they seek faster and more stable connectivity for use with cloud computing services. SDN also gives enterprises a more dynamic network architecture that enables them to better meet future business requirements, the report adds.

“Many Nordic enterprises see software-defined wide area network and related technologies as a one-stop-shop for cloud networking requirements,” said Barry Matthews, partner and leader, ISG North Europe. “As enterprises move to the cloud, internet connectivity becomes extremely important, and SDN provides better connectivity than traditional networking technologies.”

Nordic enterprises want to restructure their networks to align them with their cloud journeys, the report says. Workloads are being distributed, with company workforces able to access them from anywhere with zero-touch security. At the same time, networking customers are demanding the agility to launch new sites and solutions while reducing their total cost of ownership.

SD-WAN has become a mature solution in the Nordics, with most service providers offering solutions that include a single data plane and a control plane that gives access to not only the enterprise private data center but also the public data center or public cloud. SDN stretches across public and private clouds, creating a hybrid cloud SDN solution.

The report notes that SDN uptake in the Nordics began three to four years ago, when service providers and system integrators primarily considered the volume of data that would hit data centers and campus networks, but not the variety and speed of data. Service providers were surprised when edge networks were flooded with innovations, and enterprises demanded vertical-specific tools, including locational analytics mapped to consumer behavior.

Various industries in the Nordics have specific networking needs, such as the use of the Internet of Things in a zero-latency architecture to enable remote-control machines in the mining and construction industries, the report says.

In addition, Nordic enterprises are making network abstraction a priority, the report says. Network abstraction allows customers to make the network more programable and agile and enable services such as proactive automation and mitigation. Enterprises are no longer considering the network as a collection of hardware; instead, they are monitoring their networks to identify outages and improve overall performance, while analyzing their networks to optimize business initiatives.

The report also finds Nordic enterprises frequently using multiple carriers to maintain flexibility and the ability to dynamically reallocate bandwidth or acquire additional bandwidth. The skills needed in the network space include supporting the cloud, managing networks, automating network functions and developing business initiatives.

Finally, the report notes many service providers are taking steps to protect against the COVID-19 pandemic, with some cutting back on non-emergency remote access for virtual demonstrations of new network capabilities, and some curtailing real-time demonstrations at labs or centers of excellence. Some regional providers have adopted end-to-end, data-driven approaches to analyze network traffic trends and seasonality as a way to predict peak consumption periods affected by people working from home.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Network – Software Defined Solutions and Services Partners Report for the Nordics evaluates the capabilities of 43 providers across six quadrants: Managed WAN Services, Managed SD-WAN Services, SDN Transformation Services (Consulting and Implementation), SD-WAN Equipment and Service Supplies (DIY), Network Technologies Suppliers (Core to Mobile), and Mobile Network (4G/5G) Additional (Non-Core) Services.

The report names IBM, Orange Business Services and Wipro as leaders in all six quadrants, and Deutsche Telekom as a leader in five. HCL and TCS are named leaders in four quadrants, and Infosys and Telenor are named leaders in three. BT, Cisco, Ericsson, Tech Mahindra and Telia are named leaders in two quadrants and Dell Technologies is named a leader in one.

A customized version of the report is available from Tech Mahindra.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Network – Software Defined Solutions and Services Partners Report for the Nordics is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research
The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe and Latin America, as well as in the U.S., Germany, the U.K., France, the Nordics, Brazil and Australia/New Zealand, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

The series is a complement to the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, which offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types.

Starting this year, each ISG Provider Lens™ study will include a Global Summary to help enterprise subscribers better understand provider capabilities across all geographic markets covered by that study. All ISG Provider Lens™ reports also will now include an Enterprise Context feature to help executives quickly identify key insights related to their roles and responsibilities.

About ISG
ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

To view this piece of content from www.globenewswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.