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According to a new ISG Provider Lens report, enterprises across Asia Pacific are modernizing their networks by shifting toward managed, internet-first architectures like SD-WAN and SASE. This move is driven by the need to control costs, ensure application performance for AI and automation, and address skills shortages while navigating complex, distributed infrastructures across the region.
An ISG report finds Asia Pacific enterprises are shifting to managed, internet-first network services.
Key drivers are controlling costs, ensuring performance for AI/automation, and addressing skills gaps.
Organizations are adopting SD-WAN and SASE architectures, reducing reliance on costly legacy circuits.
There is growing demand for Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) consumption models and local specialist providers.
The network is becoming a strategic foundation for digital operations rather than a static utility.
The report evaluates 63 providers, naming several as Leaders across different service quadrants.
The report positions the enterprise network as evolving from a static utility into a strategic platform for digital operations. As companies accelerate the adoption of AI, robotics, and automation, reliable network performance becomes critical for real-time decision-making and productivity. This shift is compelling organizations to replace legacy, hardware-centric networks with more agile, software-defined architectures that can support rapid change and distributed workloads.
A key trend is the move toward software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) and secure access service edge (SASE) frameworks. These internet-first models reduce dependency on expensive private circuits (MPLS) and improve agility. Enterprises are using deterministic underlays only where strictly necessary, allowing for incremental modernization. To manage complexity and internal skills shortages, companies are increasingly turning to managed and co-managed services, with growing interest in Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) consumption models that shift spending from capital to operational expenditure.
The Asia Pacific market shows distinct characteristics, including significant demand for local managed network service providers that specialize in operating within sovereign boundaries and understand local regulations. These providers often offer flexible co-managed models. Furthermore, the application of automation and AIOps is becoming essential for provisioning, assurance, and change management, helping to reduce manual effort, lower error rates, and deliver more predictable network performance and faster site deployments.
The ISG report underscores a fundamental transformation in how Asia Pacific enterprises view and manage their network infrastructure. The convergence of digital expansion, AI adoption, and operational pressures is driving a clear preference for managed, agile, and consumption-based networking solutions. This shift allows organizations to focus on core business innovation while relying on specialized partners to ensure their network foundation is performant, secure, and scalable enough to support future growth across a diverse and dynamic region.
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