This blog is based on the customer analysis titled, Voice of Customer: SD-WAN and SASE, Global, 2025, authored by Frost & Sullivan’s growth expert, Stephen Thomas from the Enterprise Network Services team.
In a cloud-first digital era, businesses can’t lean on legacy network strategies that were designed for yesterday’s world of static offices, data centers, and branch locations. This is pushing enterprises towards Software-Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) to overcome the limitations of technologies like Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS).
How?
- SD-WAN can modernize connectivity by dynamically routing traffic across broadband, MPLS, or 5G links based on application requirements.
- SASE can go one step further, by bringing in cloud-based security features like zero trust access, firewalls, and data protection.
In Frost & Sullivan’s exclusive analysis of IT decision makers across industries, we uncovered customer preferences regarding network technologies and services in 19 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
- Simplified network operations and automation via centralized, software-based management.
- Enhanced customer experience (CX) and application performance through intelligent, real-time traffic routing.
- Improved security that combines cloud-based defense with network tech.
- Business scalability and agility that better supports remote/ hybrid work and multi-cloud set-ups.
- Faster service delivery and greater cost efficiency by transitioning from costly MPLS circuits to broadband/fiber alternatives.
Is your network strategy equipped to scale with remote work and multi-cloud environments?
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Customer-centric Networking: The Hidden Promise of SD-WAN and SASE
Why Do Customers Want to Modernize Network Technology?
Enterprises aren’t pouring money into networks just to maintain the status quo anymore. The conversations are shifting. When leaders talk about network investments today, they bring up things like:
- How do we streamline processes?
- How do we keep customers happier?
- How do we innovate faster?
Cost reduction still matters, but it no longer dominates the agenda.
Frost & Sullivan’s customer analysis backs this up: improving efficiency, customer experience, product delivery, and employee productivity all rank higher than simple cost savings. That’s a big change from the past decade. What this really shows is that networks are now being viewed as enablers of growth. A reliable, modern network strategy can cut delays, support a flexible workforce, and open the door to new digital services.
Are your current network investments aligned with the outcomes your business wants to achieve in 2030?
Network-based Applications in Focus
Ask IT leaders what runs on their networks today, and the answers tell a clear story. Security sits firmly at the top, followed by data transfer and remote endpoint monitoring—functions that have become essential as work spreads across branches, warehouses, and home offices.
Loss prevention shows up in sectors like retail, logistics, and warehousing, where operational visibility is everything.
Meanwhile, IoT and corporate apps continue to rise in popularity as companies bring automation and analytics closer to the edge.
The takeaway for providers?
These applications highlight a broader shift: the network is evolving from a passive transport layer into an active platform that safeguards, informs, and drives business outcomes.
For an insider’s view into the most popular software-driven connectivity applications and customized SD-WAN and SASE strategies specific to Europe view full analysis:
Growth Potential of SD-WAN
It’s taken a while, but SD-WAN has finally hit its stride. What started as a niche technology for early adopters is steadily moving into mainstream adoption:
- Almost half (42% in total) of the companies in Frost & Sullivan’s survey have already deployed it
- Another 46% are either testing or mapping out their SD-WAN plans
- Only a small fraction—about 10%—say that SD-WAN adoption doesn’t feature on their immediate growth plans.
The appeal is easy to see. Businesses are tired of rigid, expensive networks that can’t keep up with cloud apps or remote work. SD-WAN promises flexibility, scalability, and better performance for users who are spread across cities, countries, or time zones. Still, rolling out SD-WAN isn’t plug-and-play. Many teams discover the technology is more complex than expected. Costs can creep up, and deployments often take longer than planned.
The lesson? Choosing the right partners—and setting realistic expectations—makes all the difference. For those who get it right, the benefits are tangible: faster networks, happier users, and a foundation built for what’s next.
Growth Potential of SASE
A few years ago, most companies were still trying to wrap their heads around SD-WAN. Now, many are realizing it’s only half the story. Enter SASE—a framework that blends networking and security into one cloud-based architecture. It’s gaining attention fast, but adoption is still early. Only about a quarter of businesses have deployed or are actively rolling out SASE, while more than half are still learning or planning.
That gap tells an important story: companies see the potential, but they’re still figuring out how to get there. With multi-cloud and hybrid work becoming the norm, IT leaders are looking for ways to simplify security, improve network performance, and consolidate point solutions. SASE promises to do all three.
Still, moving from promise to practice isn’t easy. Integrating multiple technologies, managing costs, and finding the right skills are all real hurdles. That’s why many organizations are turning to managed service and security providers—partners who can guide them through the complexity.
Which partnership strategies and best practices will help your organization make the most of the SD-WAN and SASE revolution?
Thriving Through the Transformation of Enterprise Network Services
In conclusion, tomorrow’s enterprises need agile, secure, and scalable network management to thrive in a cloud-first world. Leveraging managed network services, SD-WAN, and SASE empowers organizations to simplify network configuration, enhance network infrastructure, and strengthen network security. Together, these solutions transform wide area networks into intelligent, adaptive systems that drive efficiency, innovation, and long-term business growth— How and where should you start your organization’s network transformation?
Talk to our Enterprise Network Services experts to for customized growth opportunities in network management and connectivity. We cover everything, from technology adoption, emerging network configurations, infrastructure choices, best practices, and latest advancements in this ecosystem.
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