The inconsistent economy has not reduced business customers’ need for fast connectivity, according to research conducted in December by fiber network operator FiberLight. Nearly 90% of IT and corporate executives surveyed said they are still investing in high-bandwidth services. As respondents look to expand high-bandwidth services, their key drivers are data center and cloud connectivity, as well as dedicated internet access (DIA). Specific services in which they will invest include Ethernet, SD-WAN, and others.

High-Bandwidth Business Services Demand

Forty-one percent of respondents said their cloud and data center approach was hybrid cloud, while 37% said cloud data center and 17% said on-premises data center. Current cloud applications include unified communications and security-as-a-service (both of which were referenced by 22% of respondents) and customer relationship management software-as-a-service (referenced by 18%).

“Despite the growing concerns of a potential recession and layoffs, businesses are continuing to move forward with plans for fast, secure, and reliable internet access,” FiberLight Chief Strategy Officer Ron Kormos said in a press release. 

“Data center strategy has been and continues to be a major driver for connectivity. We have consistently seen a demand for this connectivity and anticipate this will continue. We also anticipate additional growth in cloud computing needs.”

Respondents’ most popular bundled offerings were SD-WAN/secure access service edge (SASE), cloud connectivity, cloud services, network management and monitoring, and unified communications and collaboration. The FiberLight survey had 1,750 respondents. Just over 43% of them said their network investment will focus on urban metro areas, while 29% will focus on suburban areas and 27% will focus on rural areas. The top industries represented by the respondents were technology/software (28%), financial services (14%) and manufacturing (13%).