Gaps in network visibility and security face the majority of IT teams, especially as remote and hybrid work continues, says the 2023 Network IT Management Report from Auvik. The report reveals that while 86% of the respondents support a remote workforce at least some of the time, only half are performing Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud monitoring or Wi-Fi management — critical components of the new enterprise network in today’s hybrid world.

SaaS and cloud applications, such as Salesforce, Slack, G Suite, Microsoft 365 and Zoom, are how employees are getting work done. These apps, as well as the Wi-Fi employees are using at home (or at a hotel, a coffee shop, etc.), pose potential security risks to the enterprise network, and thus IT teams must have visibility and solutions for enabling their workforce to be productive while minimizing risk. In recognition of this need and current gaps, 30% of the survey respondents reported that they are planning to invest in Wi-Fi management and/or SaaS and cloud-monitoring solutions within the next 12 months.

Network configurations pose visibility & security challenges

Another serious visibility and security gap facing IT teams is with network configurations. The report found 45% of IT teams do not fully know the configuration of their networks and 21% responded that individuals outside of ITOps, perhaps in adjacent departments like DevOps, are making configuration changes. What’s more, 20% of respondents said configuration changes are occurring on a daily basis and another 33% said they’re happening at least weekly. With unknown and non-IT employees making frequent changes to the network’s configuration, the security risks increase significantly.

Additional key findings from the report include:

• 41.5% of respondents said network documentation is updated monthly or less often — despite 53% reporting that configuration changes are happening daily or weekly.
• 61% of respondents believe a lack of time and money are restricting their ability to better serve their colleagues and clients, with budget/costs, security and shortage of skilled professionals being the top three challenges cited by IT professionals.
• 73% of respondents outsource some of their network-related tasks.
• 42% of respondents are tracked on the percentage of uptime and downtime at their organization.

More information from the report can be found here.