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Unified Comms
April 14, 2021
Nearly three-quarters of UK providers anticipate the switch to remote working will be permanent
UK comms providers are preparing for a future where remote home working will remain in place, according to a study.
The study was commissioned by A10 Networks, and surveyed 250 comms service providers in the UK found there to be a significant impact on attitudes to home working due to the pandemic.
Independent research organisation Opinion Matters undertook the study, with senior IT professionals from comms services providers in the UK, France, Germany, Middle East and India polled.
The study found that 98 per cent of service providers had experienced an increase in demand as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of respondents said they expect their customers will continue to operate with employees working from home to some extent post-pandemic.
Accelerated transition
Other key findings from the report found that 98pc said the pandemic accelerated their transition to a more distributed network, while 61pc scaled up infrastructure across the network.
A10 Networks regional vice president Adrian Taylor said: “The switch to working from home caused an unprecedented shift in customer needs and a fundamental change in both geographic and temporal use patterns, as home workers adapted working hours to combine jobs with home-schooling and caring duties.
“At the same time, it represented a rapid expansion of the attack surface, leaving providers battling on two fronts: how to meet demand, and how to scale-up safely. Our research shows UK providers had a dual focus on scale and security, which is set to continue as they make strategic adjustments to the evolving landscape, accelerating their transition to a more distributed network.”