The “as a service” business model, in which third-party consulting firms provide IT services to customers on a subscription basis, has been nothing short of a revolution. In particular, network as a service (NaaS) has saved many companies from having to build their own networking infrastructure in-house. Configuring and operating devices such as routers, WAN optimizers, and firewalls is no easy task even for IT experts.
Many companies are finding that NaaS is exactly what they need to fulfill their objectives and grow as a business. In this article, we’ll discuss the 8 greatest advantages of implementing NaaS within your organization.
Top 8 Benefits of Implementing Network as a Service (NaaS)
- Reduced Costs
- Proactive Maintenance
- Enhanced Security
- Increased Levels of Uptime
- Improved Quality of Service
- Maximized Performance and Increased Productivity
1. Reduced Costs
NaaS reduces many IT costs, including those associated with infrastructure, hardware, software, operations, and maintenance. The lower expenses are due not only to outsourcing, but also to the knowledge and expertise that NaaS providers can bring to the table. The right NaaS partner can make the transitional period as smooth as possible, minimizing expenses and mistakes as you implement new processes and equipment. In addition, most NaaS providers charge a recurring subscription-based fee, which makes your monthly IT budget more predictable.
2. Proactive Maintenance
Because it can lead to unexpected downtime, reactive maintenance isn’t enough when dealing with the network demands of modern organizations. NaaS customers can detect and even predict network issues early on by performing proactive monitoring and preventative maintenance. Software tools can generate alerts when a particular site is exhibiting abnormally high latency, allowing the NaaS partner to start fixing the problem even before the customer knows about it.
3. Enhanced Security
With news of devastating data breaches constantly in the headlines, information security is a huge concern for businesses of all sizes and industries. NaaS partners should work with you to implement best practices for IT security, and can recommend hardware and software platforms that are tailored to your needs. If you have specific compliance issues and regulations to abide by, look for a partner that has experience with other companies in the same sector.
4. Increased Levels of Uptime
Service level agreements (SLAs) are contracts between the customer and the managed network service provider that guarantee concerns such as levels of availability, network uptime, and response and resolution times for addressing issues. It’s important to find a partner that’s flexible enough to allow the SLA to change over the course of the relationship. For example, you might assume that service between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. is enough for your needs, but then change your mind a month later.
5. Improved Quality of Service
In general, NaaS provides benefits such as better voice quality, more efficient call routing, and improved network management. Customers can focus on the quality of their work, without getting bogged down by IT issues. The right NaaS partner will help you optimize your network streams, ensuring that your data is getting to the cloud correctly. Before installing the solution, your partner should perform an in-depth discovery and documentation process, working with you to build a blueprint of your IT environment.
6. Maximized Performance and Increased Productivity
When your network is performing at its best, with fewer hiccups and less downtime, IT staff members (and all employees) can perform their daily tasks more efficiently and effectively, increasing their overall productivity. The right NaaS partner will proactively send you monthly reports, helping you detect issues and important trends. For example, a branch office hundreds of miles away may be experiencing high latency due to a large software update that the IT department is installing all at once, instead of staggering it over time. By identifying the root cause of the problem, you can take steps to solve it and prevent it from happening again.
7. Optimized Systems
The right NaaS provider can determine whether or not your IT infrastructure and network are capable of supporting the traffic you are getting, and make adjustments to ensure your network operates efficiently. In addition, your choice of NaaS partner should do quarterly business reviews to discuss your recurring pain points and how they can be solved or mitigated. Because customers are in the trenches every day hearing users’ experiences, it’s important to have frequent communication and collaboration to stay abreast of any new issues.
8. Access to Expertise and Experience
Working with a NaaS provider means that you gain an expert team of experienced, diverse and qualified personnel at your fingertips. Your choice of partner will be at your side throughout the project, from the planning phase all the way through to implementation and long-term support. Once it’s time to hand off responsibility to the customer at the end of the project, your partner will help with training and knowledge transfer so that you’re able to manage the infrastructure yourself.
Conclusion
Unless you’re already in the networking business, spending time on building your network in-house is distracting from your core priorities as an organization. Implementing network as a service (NaaS) has a variety of advantages: cutting costs, increasing uptime, maximizing your performance, and more. To learn more about how NaaS can benefit you, reach out to us for a no-cost consultation.
