Enterprise networks are evolving fast. What once ran entirely inside a data center has become a cloud-connected fabric that links people, offices, and applications everywhere.
Traditional, hardware-based networks can no longer keep up with modern business needs. They are expensive to maintain, slow to change, and difficult to manage across distributed environments. As organizations adopt hybrid and multi-cloud strategies, they need networks that are as flexible as the services they support.
Cloud networking and Network as a Service (NaaS) make this possible. Together, they have shifted from hardware dependence to a networking service delivery, allowing IT teams to manage connectivity, security, and performance through the cloud.
This guide explains how these models work, how they fit together, and how organizations can use them to build networks that are agile, scalable, and cost-efficient. It also outlines practical deployment options and a roadmap for adoption.
What Is Cloud Networking?
Cloud networking delivers essential network services such as connectivity, routing, and security through cloud infrastructure rather than physical devices. These services are managed through centralized software instead of manual configuration.
According to Gartner, cloud networking enables organizations to operate networks with greater flexibility, automation, and control. This model allows teams to make changes faster and scale resources on demand.
Core Elements of Cloud Networking
- Virtual network functions (VNFs) that replace traditional hardware appliances; in cloud-native environments, these are evolving into containerized network functions (CNFs) for greater scalability and orchestration flexibility.
- Cloud interconnects that link private and public environments for seamless data movement.
- Centralized management that provides unified visibility and policy control across sites.
Instead of installing new routers or switches for every connection, IT teams use software-based tools to create and manage links. For example, a new branch office can be connected to a cloud region within minutes using virtual routing.
Automation plays a key role. APIs and orchestration tools allow networks to adapt automatically to new workloads or user demands. The result is a flexible, cloud-ready network that grows as the business grows.
Introducing Network as a Service (NaaS)
Network as a Service, or NaaS, builds on the foundation of cloud networking by offering network capabilities as a subscription. Instead of buying, installing, and managing hardware, organizations subscribe to services that provide the same functions through the cloud.
Network World defines NaaS as an integrated platform that combines hardware, software, and licenses under a single managed service. NaaS allows businesses to access connectivity, routing, and security features through a subscription model. This replaces large capital investments with consistent operating costs and reduces the need for on-site maintenance.
In a Network as a Service model, the provider manages all hardware, software, and licenses so that customers can focus on using the network rather than running it.
Key Components of NaaS
- Connectivity: WAN, LAN, VPN, or SD-WAN links delivered virtually
- Security: Firewall as a Service (FWaaS), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and policy enforcement
- Performance: Bandwidth optimization, traffic monitoring, and analytics
Organizations are adopting NaaS for agility, cost predictability, and simplicity. It supports hybrid and multicloud environments, enables faster branch deployments, and ensures consistent performance across locations.
How Cloud Networking and NaaS Work Together
Cloud networking provides the foundation, while NaaS delivers it as a service. Together, they create a software-driven, cloud-managed network that can adjust instantly to business needs.
Platform and Delivery Integration
- Cloud networking supplies the infrastructure layer: virtualized connectivity, cloud interconnects, and software-defined policies.
- NaaS provides the delivery itself, through subscription-based access with centralized management.
- Automation brings the two together, allowing IT teams to dynamically change configurations and policies and allocate bandwidth—all in a programmatic way that avoids misconfigurations and scales to the largest environments.
Both models also connect with modern frameworks that improve performance and protection:
- Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) combines networking and security in one platform, often built on SD-WAN connectivity for intelligent traffic routing and link optimization.
- AIOps uses analytics to detect and resolve issues automatically.
- Zero Trust verifies every user and device before granting access.
Together, these elements create a unified architecture that moves traffic efficiently and applies security consistently, regardless of user location.
Architectural Models and Deployment Scenarios
Each deployment model shows a different way to balance control, scalability, and cost.
Hybrid Enterprise
Combines on-premises and cloud workloads through managed virtual routers and cloud interconnects. This design supports flexible, secure connectivity between data centers and cloud environments.
Multicloud Backbone
Connects public clouds such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud into a unified backbone, enabling data exchange and workload mobility while maintaining consistent policy management. Modern NaaS platforms increasingly support API-based integration with cloud-native services such as AWS Cloud WAN and Azure Virtual WAN, streamlining cross-cloud connectivity and automation. Due to these benefits, adoption is accelerating, with 81% of enterprises reporting that multicloud networking simplifies or accelerates their hybrid and multicloud deployments.
Edge and Remote Workforce
Extends secure access to distributed users and devices. Network as a Service supports hybrid work by delivering optimized, centrally managed connectivity to any location.
SASE and NaaS Convergence
Brings connectivity and security together. Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) provides access control and protection, while Network as a Service ensures reliable performance and simplified management.
Simplifies deployment – 81% of enterprises reporting that multicloud networking simplifies or accelerates their hybrid and multicloud deployments.
Operational and Financial Benefits
Adopting cloud networking and NaaS delivers measurable improvements across performance, operations, and cost. By replacing multiple tools with a unified platform, IT teams gain centralized visibility and control through a single dashboard, reducing manual work and simplifying day-to-day management.
Scalability also improves as new users, sites, and workloads are added quickly without new hardware. The network can expand or contract in response to business demand, making it far more adaptable than traditional infrastructure. Recent data backs this trend. In an IDC study, 72% of organizations said that as-a-service models improved IT agility, and 66% identified eliminating upfront capital expenses and easing budgeting as key reasons for adopting NaaS.
From a financial standpoint, NaaS aligns spending with usage through subscription-based pricing. This shift from capital to operational expense improves cost predictability while eliminating the large upfront investments associated with hardware refresh cycles.
Predictable lifecycle management is another key advantage. With NaaS, providers handle automatic hardware refreshes and continuous software updates, reducing obsolescence risk and keeping network infrastructure current without major disruptions.
Finally, centralized policy enforcement and real-time analytics strengthen security and compliance. Teams can apply consistent protection across all locations and respond to issues faster, maintaining performance and trust at scale.
Industry Insight - 90% of IT and networking leaders see multicloud networking as critical to hybrid cloud success, and 78% said these platforms simplify or accelerate adoption.
Implementation Roadmap
Adoption works best through a structured plan that minimizes disruption and delivers measurable outcomes.
Step 1: Assess Readiness
Review current infrastructure, performance, and dependencies. Identify areas for modernization.
Step 2: Define Objectives
Set clear goals, such as improving scalability, reducing costs, or enhancing security.
Step 3: Select a Provider
Evaluate potential providers for automation, open API support, and integration with existing systems. Look for clearly defined service-level agreements (SLAs), transparent pricing, and support for open standards to avoid vendor lock-in.
Step 4: Start Small
Pilot a hybrid or branch rollout before scaling across the enterprise.
Step 5: Integrate Security and Monitoring
Add real-time visibility through unified dashboards, and include SASE or Zero Trust components where needed.
Step 6: Scale and Optimize
Use automation to expand consistently. Monitor results and fine-tune performance based on data insights.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
✘ Incomplete visibility: Without comprehensive monitoring across all network segments, blind spots can lead to security gaps and performance issues.✘ Vendor lock-in: Proprietary systems limit flexibility and make it difficult to adapt or migrate as business needs evolve.
✘ Inconsistent policy governance: Fragmented policies across locations create security vulnerabilities and compliance risks.
Prioritize the Following
✔ Open standards: Choose platforms that support industry standards and open APIs to ensure interoperability and avoid vendor lock-in.✔ Clear accountability: Define roles and responsibilities across teams to ensure smooth operations and effective incident response.
Measuring Success
Tracking both technical and business outcomes ensures that improvements translate into real value.
- Technical indicators include uptime, latency, deployment speed, and response time to incidents.
- Business indicators include total cost of ownership, spending predictability, and user satisfaction.
Continuous monitoring connects these metrics to ongoing improvements. Regular analysis helps refine policies, optimize performance, and maintain consistent reliability.
Measurement Tip - Use both operational and business metrics to show ROI and demonstrate how network improvements support broader company goals.
The Future of Cloud Networking and NaaS
The future of networking will be software-driven, intelligent, and sustainable. Analysts like Gartner highlight automation, AI, and edge computing as the next major forces shaping cloud evolution. As 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) applications expand, networks will need to operate closer to users while still enforcing centralized security and control.
Network as a Service will make that possible by delivering flexible, cloud-based connectivity that adapts in real time to shifting demands. Artificial intelligence will move beyond monitoring to prediction, detecting and resolving performance or security issues before users ever notice. At the same time, cloud-based delivery models will reduce hardware waste and energy use, helping organizations meet sustainability goals without compromising performance.
Ultimately, the goal is a self-adjusting network that operates intelligently and aligns with business intent, an evolution often described as intent-based networking (IBN). Looking ahead, emerging technologies such as Network Digital Twins, virtual replicas used for AI-driven simulation and optimization, will further accelerate this shift toward predictive, autonomous network operations.
Designing the Network of the Future
Cloud networking and Network as a Service give organizations the flexibility to modernize without rebuilding from the ground up. By delivering network functions through the cloud, they simplify management, strengthen security, and improve scalability across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
This shift represents an opportunity to align technology strategy with business agility. The journey begins with visibility into existing systems, expands through automation and analytics, and leads to measurable gains in performance and efficiency.
Connection works alongside organizations to design and implement secure, cloud-ready network architectures. Our experts help assess readiness, deploy NaaS-enabled solutions, and integrate automation that grows with your business.
Network Transformation Services
Your business relies on a strong network, yet the rise of applications, cloud computing, and IoT has pushed performance demands to new heights. Meeting requirements for bandwidth, speed, and agility can feel daunting, costly, and complicated by security concerns. Our experts provide a comprehensive view of your network, empowering you to address challenges with confidence and implement improvements that keep your business moving forward.
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