The Service-Oriented Network

In earlier parts of the Hybrid Platforms Trends Series, we explored our Platform of the Future vision. We discussed the three foundational components of Hybrid Cloud, Secure Networking, and Data Protection. We are now going to unpack the details of the Secure Networking foundation and examine how we can deliver connectivity that will support the coming decade of innovation, which we call The Service-Oriented Network.

As part of the 2026 predictions, I discussed three foundational imperatives, with the Network being one of these core demands.  

Our Networking team have evaluated the challenges and market conditions to develop our approach, one that looks to unify the network from Edge to Cloud and beyond. Let’s look at what this means. 

Digital services are transforming network priorities 

Today’s organisations must optimise networking to keep pace with user growth, hybrid work demands, bandwidth requirements, and cloud expansion. They also need to prepare to address next-generation technologies, such as the convergence of Networking and Security into Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Wi-Fi 7, NetOps 2.0, Internet of Things (IoT), AIOps, and Networking for AI. Building an automated, hyperconnected networking fabric will be critical to creating the secure backbone of every organisation’s digital future. When we consider these against the backdrop of key outcomes, such as driving operational efficiency, saving costs, and ensuring employee productivity, the imperative of network design should be clear. 

In today’s distributed climate, organisations' networking teams face multiple challenges. These include the increasing unpredictability of consumer demands, network complexity, operational management issues, security concerns, and the difficulty of maintaining end-to-end visibility. Our top ten picks for networking challenges in 2026 are: 

Industry data indicate that evolving technologies, such as IoT, Edge Computing, and Artificial Intelligence, will place increasing pressure on the network. At the same time, the ability to manage technical debt and operational overheads will create unsustainable pressure levels on network teams. Combining this with the ever-increasing rise of cyber threats is leaving organisations with significant considerations for the future of network architectures.          

These challenges impact enterprise service delivery, growth, and competitiveness. However, organisations can stay on track to fulfilling their goals by being aware of these challenges, their causes, and the correct approaches to overcoming them. 

Linking back to the strategic message: The Platform of the Future 

Three core tenets from the CDW Platform of the Future vision are encapsulated in our Secure Networking approach. When you consider the requirements of being cyber resilient and hyperconnected, along with the need to empower simple operations, you can recognise that the network is the backbone of a digital organisation and the foundation for unlocking the value of data and delivering exceptional customer experiences.  

To rise to the challenge of digital readiness, especially in the face of the challenges outlined above, networks must be primed to meet the demands of next-generation technologies while keeping pace with evolving applications, services and business processes. Looking back over the past decade of network design, we can see the pace of change from traditional networks with static, predictable and straightforward deployments to today’s complex, distributed and operationally challenging architectures. 

The challenge of securing the network perimeter has significantly impacted enterprise cybersecurity. However, networks in larger enterprises today may have their perimeters represented by Private DC and SaaS solutions, IoT and mobile devices, and cloud-based and on-premises solutions, reflecting the trend away from the traditional network perimeter. Such an undefined perimeter may prove to be quite a task to secure. 

Multi-Cloud: Building multi-cloud networking strategies with secure connections that are fit for purpose 

Building multi-cloud networks can be a complex challenge, with differing standards in each cloud, a lack of end-to-end visibility, on-premises integration, consistent segmentation requirements, and the need for speed and agility to support changing application requirements. We focus on integrating your multi-cloud landscape to bring the performance and agility required to support evolving demands. 

Operations & Observability: Create a better self-aware, automated network, gaining visibility and control of your decisions 

To achieve end-to-end visibility, enterprises must base their visibility on network traffic data. Wire data should be their true source of truth. Using wire data for end-to-end visibility provides unhindered views into dependencies that span networks, servers, applications, databases, and service enablers.  

Secure Networking Outcomes: 

To rise to the challenge of digital transformation, especially in the face of hybrid work, networks must be primed to meet the demands of next-generation technologies while keeping pace with evolving applications, services and business processes. We collaborate with your IT team to streamline network operations and automate routine management tasks, enhancing productivity and network efficiency. By leveraging our trusted partners and utilising significant due diligence and integration expertise, we will deliver the most effective technology solutions to help you achieve your current and future business ambitions and goals. The top outcomes we look to enable are: 

We follow a well-defined engagement process underpinned by our Advise, Transact, Transform, and Manage journey to ensure we deliver on our promises. Please reach out to your CDW account team and ask to speak with one of your secure network experts to see how we can help optimise your journey.