Juniper Networks, a leader in secure, AI-driven networks, has announced initial findings of an international research project that shows a highly positive mindset and attitude amongst IT decision-makers and the workforce in the UAE towards networking technology’s strategic influence in leading the experience-first digital economy.

The research, conducted by Vanson Bourne on Juniper’s behalf, surveyed 650 IT decision makers and 1,200 office workers from mainstay sectors of the economy across eight countries, including the UAE. The IT decision-maker respondents are directly involved in their organization’s digital strategy, technology investment plans, and development. The research gauges the sentiment and perceptions of IT decision-makers and the workforce in the UAE in the context of its Centennial Plan 2071 prioritizing digitization.

The findings provide insights into three themes: intelligent networking, security challenges, and sustainability in networking.

Intelligent network in building a resilient digital strategy: Emphasizing the strategic importance of an organization’s network in successful digital transformation is viewed as critically important/important by 93 percent of respondents in the UAE, while 87 percent highlighted their views on this are very likely/likely to change in the next two years. In terms of elements that drive investment in developing a network-driven digital strategy, 38 percent agree that the UAE Government’s digital vision and guidelines are the main drivers, while 25 percent said organizations in other industry sectors succeeding via digital, influence their leadership.

Narrowing it down to whether the leadership of an organization is willing to embrace network-driven digital transformation, 92 percent of IT decision-maker respondents in the UAE said their organization’s leadership will be able to do so in the next five years. In addition, 98 percent of these respondents believe that networking technology approaches will need to radically evolve within the same timeframe.

However, only 28 percent of UAE respondents believe that the single greatest opportunity a digital strategy provides is empowerment to create and deliver new service offerings. Twenty-two percent of respondents said the digital strategy is important to deliver consistent customer experiences, while nearly as many highlighted it helps to maintain market relevance (20 percent) and build competitor differentiation (also 20 percent).

Security in the era of the experience-first economy: The research found that 64 percent of IT decision-maker respondents in the UAE consider keeping company data and assets secure over non-corporate networks as a top networking challenge for hybrid working. Furthermore, 73 percent of office workers expect a conflict between the need for increasingly stringent security policies and having seamless access to the network.

Sustainability in networking: 92 percent of respondents in the UAE feel networking is important to contribute toward climate change measures. 91 percent of respondents also want to see more action from their organization in the next two to five years.

Yarob Sakhnini, Vice President, Emerging Markets, EMEA at Juniper Networks, comments, “the UAE remains the hub for technology advancement and innovation in the Middle East region and is on its way to reaching its goal to become a global benchmark. As more and more organizations amplify their digitization efforts across the customer journey, it is key for them to understand the role intelligent networking plays in all aspects of business, from operations to customer interactions. This research affirms that organizations and the workforce in the UAE are aware that succeeding in the experience-first economy will require openness to change. With transformation also comes challenges, but by leveraging the capabilities of a network-driven digital strategy, the possibilities are endless to unlock enterprise value, enhance experiences and help meet the objectives of the UAE Centennial Plan 2071.”

Methodology

In June 2022, Juniper Networks commissioned Vanson Bourne to conduct primary research on organizations to determine the perceptions of IT decision-makers and the workforce in the UAE on the future of networking. The research was conducted across more than 30 industries, including local government, technology, healthcare, retail, energy, manufacturing, and transport.