Glossary What is Network as a Service? Your Guide to NaaS

By null / 1 Jan 2023 / Topics: Managed services Modern infrastructure Networking

Network as a Service (NaaS) redefines how organizations deploy and manage their network infrastructure. Instead of investing in hardware and dedicating internal resources to maintain complex environments, NaaS delivers SMB or enterprise networking capabilities. These include connectivity, bandwidth, and network security as a fully managed, subscription-based as-a-service offering.

NaaS shifts unpredictable IT costs to consistent operational spending, allowing IT teams to focus on strategic priorities while ensuring the scalability and reliability needed for modern workloads.

With these advantages, it’s not surprising that the NaaS market was valued at 16.5 billion in 2024¹. But how does network as a service improve IT agility and how can organizations get started? In this article, we answer these questions and more.

How network as a service helps you innovate & lower costs

Network as a Service (NaaS) offers a flexible, modern network alternative that supports today’s dynamic workplace. Organizations can easily adjust their network resources up or down by simply modifying their subscription — enabling fast adaptation to new locations or shifting demands.

This framework lowers large upfront costs by using a predictable monthly subscription, simplifying budgeting and freeing up funds for other business priorities.

Cloud-based management platforms integral to NaaS also provide rapid access to new features without requiring on-premises updates. By offloading network management to a NaaS provider, IT staff can concentrate on strategic initiatives, and any internal skill gaps related to network maintenance are effectively addressed.

Additionally, with centralized control, improved visibility, and built-in security, organizations gain flexibility to meet user expectations without compromising network security or performance. Adopting a networking-as-a-service model also improves sustainability by preventing equipment over-purchasing.

In short, NaaS improves your organization’s operational resilience, lowers technical debt, and helps IT teams focus on high-value projects rather than network maintenance.

Discover how one organization reduced administrative burden while accelerating deployment times with network as a service model in this blog.

How to transform your network with NaaS

What makes network as a service unique is its hardware component. For organizations faced with tighter IT budgets, shorter network planning cycles, and insufficient resources, NaaS provides network hardware and software solutions as an easy way to transform your network.

How to determine if NaaS is a good fit for your organization

If any of the following statements are true for your organization, then NaaS could be an impactful solution well suited to your business needs.

Your organization needs a more flexible operating structure to help you quickly scale up or adapt to changing business dynamics.
Your organization is bringing on new sites quickly (e.g., mergers & acquisitions).
Your organization is looking for predictable spend and improved sustainability with costs that are right-sized for your environment.
Your organization is expanding/looking to move to a new tech stack without the in-house expertise to do so.
Your organization is experiencing outages, spotty connection or other similar network-related SLA issues.
Your organization is challenged to keep up with modernization and refresh cycles.

With NaaS, organizations can redefine their boundaries around enterprise network management and consumption. This transformation starts by opting out of the day-to-day network management and take the unpredictability out of their network spend.

What are the benefits of network-as-a-service models?

A key benefit of the NaaS subscription model is the elimination of upfront capital expenditure investment. It replaces this large investment with a predictable, pay-as-you-go monthly subscription that simplifies budgeting and capacity planning.

Other benefits of a network-as-a-service framework include:

Enhanced on-premise or cloud network performance
Accelerated IT and business transformation to stay ahead of market changes
Flexible scaling to accommodate market fluctuations

Quicker, more sustainable upgrades of legacy technology NaaS also helps manage potential risks to network security and performance. Learn more by watching the video below.

A new approach to networking: Network as a service

Organizations that are working their way through legacy systems, lists of vendors, and budget obstacles can find relief with NaaS. It unlocks the flexibility and agility networks need by:

Collaborating with network management industry leaders
Mitigating risks with network security as a service
Keeping your infrastructure available to support workflows

Watch this NaaS webinar to learn from real experts what a network as a service adoption and integration process looks like. The below image is what a network modernization process looks like at a high level.

Build secure & multicloud-ready networks with Insight & HPE

Insight amplifies the value of network as a service through strategic partnerships with industry leaders. In partnership with HPE, our experts simplify how enterprise networking works by aligning costs with usage and accelerating modernization.

Talk to a specialist

Unsure if networking as a service is right for you?

Our IT experts have decades of experience working with an array of businesses and nonprofits across industries. Combined with our strong partner network, this gives us access to top talent and insights in NaaS.

This NaaS solution brief details what you can expect from a partnership with Insight and Cisco. As a team, we’ll align your network with NaaS principles by delivering networking modernization and security services in a flexible, scalable manner.