Building secure and AI-ready networks for future growth
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Driven by Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is rapidly becoming a hub for technology and innovation, investing heavily in AI, cybersecurity, and smart infrastructure. As the country accelerates its digital transformation, enterprise network reliability and scalability become critical — the backbone of sustainable growth and innovation.
Today, digital technology supports almost everything we do at work and at home, and the enterprise network is the hidden support that keeps everything running smoothly.
According to Cisco’s latest global networking report, the stakes are higher than ever. Our survey of over 8,065 senior IT and business leaders, including 250 in the Kingdom, shows that just one severe network outage per business annually costs the global economy $160 billion. For Saudi businesses, this underscores the urgent need for secure, AI-ready networks to support future growth and resilience.
Beyond the financial costs of downtime
While often viewed through a financial lens, the true power of seamless operations extends far beyond immediate numbers. Every moment of uninterrupted service actively builds trust, enhances productivity, and unlocks new opportunities. Strong, reliable networks are the backbone that keeps supply chains flowing, customer support consistent, and organizational reputations thriving.
In Saudi Arabia, IT leaders are already realizing significant value from their current network infrastructure — improving customer satisfaction (61 percent), enhancing operational efficiency (62 percent), and driving innovation (54 percent). However, this progress could be compromised if networks aren’t built to accommodate AI and deliver real-time scalability. Achieving anticipated growth and savings requires closing several crucial gaps.
To truly unlock these benefits, IT leaders in the Kingdom have identified key challenges that must be addressed. Breaking down silos is essential, with 62 percent highlighting fragmented or only partially integrated systems as a major hurdle. Scaling network deployments is another pressing issue, as 42 percent report that incomplete rollouts hinder their objectives. Meanwhile, 39 percent of IT leaders are prioritizing the reduction of manual intervention, emphasizing the urgent need for greater automation and smarter management to drive both efficiency and innovation.
AI is transforming networks
The rise in AI adoption may play a major role in causing downtime. AI assistants, autonomous agents, and data-heavy workloads are revolutionizing daily operations, but they’re also introducing far more complex and unpredictable network demands. While AI holds immense promise for tackling tough problems and automating processes, the surge in AI-powered applications is straining network resources, requiring greater bandwidth and ultra-low latency to support real-time and near real-time use cases. It’s a paradox: AI can help anticipate and avoid downtime, yet it also pushes legacy infrastructure to its limits.
Our research reveals that 67 percent of respondents say their current data centers can’t fully support AI requirements, and 90 percent intend to boost capacity — whether on-premises, in the cloud, or both. This isn’t just about managing more data; it’s about enabling instantaneous insights, supporting next-generation applications, and fueling innovation at an unprecedented pace. Today’s networks aren’t just supporting business — they’re powering it, driving agility and growth.
Secure networking
As networks become more dynamic and widespread, risks also increase. The more distributed and flexible our infrastructure, the greater the exposure to cyber threats. In Saudi Arabia, 98 percent of respondents consider secure networking vital to their operations and growth, with 65 percent rating it as absolutely essential. Additionally, 97 percent believe that improving their network will strengthen their security posture.
We stand at a critical crossroads. The traditional approach of managing networks as isolated, static assets is outdated. Modern networks must be predictive, self-managing, and inherently secure. They need to provide seamless connectivity for AI-driven workloads, support remote and hybrid teams, and safeguard data, applications, and organizational reputation.
We see this as both a challenge and an opportunity. By redesigning networks for greater flexibility, intelligence, and security, organizations can fully realize the advantages of AI, drive efficiency, and gain a sustainable edge in the marketplace.
A pivotal moment
Our research delivers a decisive message: network outages are no longer a minor inconvenience — they represent a multibillion-dollar threat to innovation and growth. The organizations that move quickly to modernize and secure their networks will be best positioned to excel in the era of AI.
The future will be defined by those who treat the network not just as a basic utility, but as a strategic driver of exceptional results — securely, and at scale.
• Tarik Al-Turki is director of solutions engineering at Cisco Saudi Arabia.
