What are the challenges to consider for NaaS?
While Network as a Service offers many benefits, not every approach would fit the bill.
Product Centric Models
One significant challenge is the product centric design with creative financial bundles placed on top – rather than true automation and orchestration of the service with a performance guarantee. It is “easier” on paper but the underlying technology is still the same.
This traditional approach to NaaS merely shifts the legacy burden around. It calls for legacy products to be bundled up in consulting, professional, and management service contracts. There is no technology innovation but creative financial modeling.
To overcome this, businesses can start by using standardized interfaces and ensuring contracts include terms for performance guarantees across sites and buildings, improved security posture, shared responsibility and visibility into network success / outcomes, among other capabilities that move away from thinking product by product technology of the same old.
Compatibility
With a NaaS offering, the provider has to be in lock-step in tackling any compatibility challenges within the existing infrastructure. It is the provider’s responsibility to identify the configuration changes required in the external infrastructure and a shared responsibility with the customer to make the integration successful.
Overcoming compatibility challenges often involves employing middleware or integration platforms that can bridge the gap between old systems and new services. During the vendor selection process, conducting thorough compatibility checks and ensuring the vendor’s solutions align with the company’s infrastructure is essential.
Security concerns
Although NaaS providers often have robust security measures, there’s still a potential risk whenever data is moved off-premises. Companies must ensure their vendors comply with all relevant data protection regulations and industry standards. Regular audits, using encryption, and ensuring vendors have a reliable track record in security can help mitigate these risks.
Service quality
Depending on the NaaS provider, there can be concerns about the network services’ quality. Network downtime, low speeds, and poor service can negatively impact business operations.
To address these concerns, businesses should set clear service level agreements (SLAs) with providers, continuously monitor network performance, and maintain open communication channels for quick resolution of any issues.
Difficulty in troubleshooting
In a NaaS model, the provider needs to have proactive capabilities to identify issues before they are realized / noticed by the end customer: they need to start troubleshooting in advance and notify the customer without waiting for a support call from the enterprise IT teams. Otherwise, this could lead to delays in problem resolution and result in unsatisfied SLAs.
Overcoming this challenge involves establishing clear communication protocols with the NaaS provider and having a production engineering team in place that understands the company’s overall IT architecture and can act as a customer success representative within the provider.
Lack of control
With NaaS, companies might be asked to have less direct control over their networks, as the service provider manages a high degree of complexity with a product centric deployment and architecture. This may concern companies with particular network requirements or those who prefer to maintain provisioning in-house along with rich visibility. It is imperative that enterprise IT teams do not let go of their control over their own business outcomes for digital initiatives.
To ensure a good level of control without complexity, businesses can ensure contracts specify clear boundaries of control and responsibilities.
Regulatory compliance
Finally, for some industries with specific regulatory compliance requirements, employing an off-premises, cloud-based network solution can be complex from a compliance standpoint.
To navigate this challenge, companies should be well-acquainted with their industry’s regulations and work closely with legal teams to ensure that contracts with NaaS providers are compliant. Opting for providers with certifications in regulatory standards would be beneficial.