Cloud creates network blind spots, complicates problem resolution

• Cloud environments (public, private, hybrid): 62%
• Scale (numerous devices, traffic, schema, etc.): 55%
• Lack of needed skillsets: 41%
• False positive alerts: 41%
• Remote employees: 40%
• Alert storms (alerts causing other alerts, noise, etc): 39%
• Next-generation technology (5G, 400gE, SD-WAN, SDN, etc.): 34%
• Not enough network operations personnel: 34%
• Inadequate operations tools: 31%
• IoT devices: 30%

While survey respondents pointed to the technical factors making network observability difficult, the lack of available and skilled candidates also contributes greatly to the struggle to efficiently manage a complex, distributed network environment. The challenges often point enterprise companies to also rely on third-party resources for management and monitoring assistance, but that approach doesn’t alleviate the internal staffing challenges for the long term, the study explains.

The top contributors holding a network team back from growing and becoming more capable of managing increasing complexity and more tasks include:

• Lack of budget: 75%
• Candidates lack needed skillsets: 48%
• Politics (roadblocks, delays, etc.): 47%
• Lack of available candidates: 45%
• Inability to offer competitive compensation: 38%
• Moratorium on hiring: 31%
• Outsourcing strategy: 22%

“The issues of lacking and available skilled candidates are particularly difficult for a company to solve, and while growing expertise internally is a common approach it does mean that low-skilled new hires need a way to contribute,” the report reads. “To help mitigate the challenge, 65% [of respondents] admitted they rely on third-party resources for network operations, but that approach doesn’t often grow expertise internally, which can perpetuate the situation.”