New research shows enterprises increasingly combining network-as-a-service and managed networking, creating opportunities for channel partners in observability, compliance, and cost management.
Enterprise adoption of network-as-a-service (NaaS) and managed network services (MNS) is accelerating, but persistent challenges around network visibility, compliance, and cost predictability are creating new demands for IT service providers, according to research released November 5 by GTT Communications.
The GTT-commissioned research, conducted by Hanover Research, found that 78% of surveyed enterprises already use a combination of NaaS and MNS. However, 75% identified insufficient observability as a barrier to NaaS adoption, highlighting the operational complexity of managing increasingly distributed networks.
For MSPs and systems integrators, GTT’s findings suggest that enterprise NaaS adoption is creating demand for services that combine network observability, compliance reporting, automated remediation, and long-term cost management.
Network observability and compliance hinder NaaS adoption
While NaaS offers flexible, consumption-based networking capabilities, MNS provides operational oversight and support. Enterprises are increasingly combining the two models rather than choosing between them.
That approach introduces complications when multiple providers, platforms, and monitoring tools are involved.
According to GTT, 18% of respondents experiencing observability barriers reported that those issues had more than once stopped NaaS adoption.
Compliance requirements are adding another layer of complexity. The research found that 90% of enterprises require high or very high standards of audit evidence from network providers, while 94% consider provider-maintained immutable logs valuable or extremely valuable.
Additionally, 91% favor maintaining ownership of their encryption keys, either independently or through shared management arrangements.
These findings point toward opportunities for channel partners to differentiate through unified network monitoring, compliance reporting, security integration, and clearly defined operational accountability.
For MSPs managing hybrid and multicloud environments, demonstrating how network activity is monitored, documented, and secured could become as important as traditional uptime and performance guarantees.
Enterprise NaaS costs drive long-term spending decisions
Despite concerns about consumption-based pricing, enterprises appear increasingly willing to accept short-term spending fluctuations in exchange for lower long-term costs.
The survey found that 61% of respondents prioritize the five-year total cost of ownership when evaluating NaaS investments, compared with 19% who prioritize the three-year return on investment.
When presented with a hypothetical NaaS solution offering approximately 30% lower five-year costs, 92% said they would tolerate quarterly billing fluctuations of up to 15%.
The findings suggest channel partners may need to strengthen their financial advisory capabilities to help customers model network consumption, forecast spending, and evaluate the economics of managed versus on-demand services.
This creates potential opportunities for FinOps-oriented networking services that combine cost optimization with operational oversight.
Networking talent shortages increase managed services demand
Workforce constraints are also influencing enterprise networking strategies. GTT found that 37% of respondents identified talent shortages as the biggest external factor shaping their next network modernization cycle.
Another 37% preferred AI-driven automated remediation for network performance issues, indicating interest in reducing manual intervention.
“For most enterprises, the question is no longer whether to combine NaaS and MNS, but how to optimize the combination,” said Claudio Scola, vice president of product management, connectivity and voice services at GTT.
For channel partners, the broader implication is a potential shift toward more comprehensive managed networking engagements.
Rather than competing primarily on connectivity pricing or infrastructure deployment, providers may find greater differentiation in integrating automation, observability, compliance, and financial governance into recurring services.
The research suggests that enterprises increasingly value partners capable of managing the complexity of their networking environments, rather than simply supplying the underlying technology.
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