Research

The Data Center Networking Imperative: Key Trends Driving the Next Era of Data Centers

The Data Center Networking Imperative Key Trends Driving the Next Era of Data Centers

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Modern data centers are under immense pressure to deliver always-on services. Reliability has emerged as the top priority for IT leaders, surpassing ease of integration and operational simplicity. Downtime is no longer just an inconvenience—it poses direct risks to revenue, customer trust, and SLA compliance.

This new market study report from Futurum Research, in partnership with Nokia, explores the forces shaping the future of data center networking. Based on a global survey of IT leaders, it identifies the top criteria for network investment, the frequency and causes of outages, and the barriers organizations face in improving reliability.

The research highlights how leaders are prioritizing automation, AIOps, and modernization strategies to reduce human error, mitigate hardware and software failures, and ensure resilient performance across hybrid environments. Readers will gain practical insights into the metrics, investments, and strategies that will define the next era of data center networking.

In this report, you will learn:

  • Why reliability is the #1 decision criterion, selected by 86% of IT leaders.
  • How common downtime is—74% of organizations experienced outages in the past year.
  • The KPIs and SLAs most organizations use to track and enforce reliability.
  • The top barriers to reliability, from compliance complexity to software bugs.
  • Where organizations are investing next, including automation, AIOps, and modernization.

If you are interested in learning more, be sure to download your copy of The Data Center Networking Imperative: Key Trends Driving the Next Era of Data Centers today.

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Author Information

Mitch Ashley is VP and Practice Lead for the CIO & Technology Buyers and Software Lifecycle Engineering practices at The Futurum Group. A multi-time CIO and CTO with 30+ years leading technical organizations, Mitch built and operated production systems spanning cybersecurity for the U.S. Department of Defense, PKI services for the broadband and 5G industries, SaaS platforms, large-scale telecom and banking systems, and a national broadband network. His work with AI began early, developing expert systems that diagnosed and repaired complex mainframe environments. That operator foundation grounds his analysis in operational consequence, covering the technology buyer's world of software engineering, cybersecurity, DevOps, cloud, and AI.

Scott Robohn
Scott Robohn

Scott Robohn is CEO and Co-Founder of Solutional, and has over 30 years of experience in network operations, design/architecture, technical support, technical sales, executive leadership, and consulting. He works with clients on issues in Networking, Automation, Operations, AI, Cloud, Security, and Emerging Tech. He is also a co-founder of the Network Automation Forum and creator/producer/host of the Total Network Operations (TNOps) project.

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Benjamin Brown, VP Custom Research, Futurum Research

Benjamin Brown

VP, Custom Research · The Futurum Group

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