Enterprise Networking and Communications refers to the products and services that enable secure, scalable, and high-performance connectivity and communication across distributed enterprise environments. This category includes markets that focus on core and edge networking, unified communications, private and public mobile networks, and managed network services—supporting digital transformation, and operational efficiency.
Gartner defines global WAN services as POP-based services supporting multiregional corporate networks. These services address enterprise challenges such as hybrid working practices, accelerating digital and cloud transformations and improving enterprise network agility. Providers own and operate their own global core networks and sell directly to the client. Services include transport-centric/unmanaged, managed, co-managed network services, or network as a service via a monthly fixed or usage-based fee model. Core transport services are often complemented by ancillary services like carrier-based cloud interconnect, SD-WAN, SASE or managed services. Services are measurable and consumable through web-based customer interfaces via portals and programmable APIs.
The managed network services (MNS) market focuses on externally provided, network operations center (NOC) functionality, as well as relevant network and security life cycle services that deliver current and emerging requirements to end users. Gartner defines the MNS market as globally capable providers of remote service management functions for the network and security operations of enterprise networks, including: Managed LAN services (MNS for LAN) Managed WAN services (MNS for WAN) Managed security (MNS for security) functions
MSSs provide organizations with a variety of management and operational services specific to security technologies and business outcomes for security. Capabilities include security monitoring, detection and response, exposure assessment and management as well as security consulting and security technology implementation. MSSs are delivered in a variety of modes, in the providers’ cloud infrastructure, as consultative engagements or through staff augmentation and on-premises. MSS providers offer a variety of different engagement models. These include heavily customized and consultancy-led models and commoditized technology management-driven experiences.
Software defined cloud interconnects (SDCI) provide private network connectivity between enterprises and public cloud service providers (CSPs). SDCIs pre-provision physical connectivity from their hubs to public cloud service providers, internet service providers (ISPs), and network service providers (NSPs). They serve as aggregators and intermediaries to quickly provision logical connectivity to cloud service providers and complement this with billing, monitoring/management, security, and administrative functions. For both performance and business continuity reasons, SDCI can be employed by enterprises with multi-cloud architecture.