Cisco has released a new study revealing a major architectural shift underway across enterprise networks. As AI assistants, agents, and data-driven workloads reshape how work gets done, they’re creating faster, more dynamic, more latency-sensitive and more complex network traffic in South Africa.

Combined with the ubiquity of connected devices, 24/7 uptime demands, and intensifying security threats, these shifts are driving infrastructure to adapt and evolve. The result: IT leaders are changing how they think about the network: what it is, what it enables and how it protects the organisation. The network they build today will decide the business they become tomorrow.

Six signals that an architectural shift is underway in South Africa:

1. The network has become a strategic priority: 100% of IT leaders say a modernised network is critical to rolling out AI, IoT and cloud, with 94% planning to increase the share of their overall IT budget allocated to networking.
2. Secure networking is mission-critical: 99% say secure networking is important to their operations and growth and 80% say it’s critical. 97% believe an improved network will enhance their cybersecurity posture.
3. AI intensifies demand for resilient networks: 97% say a resilient network is critical, at a time when 94% faced major outages – driven largely by congestion, cyberattacks, and misconfigurations – adding up to $160B globally from just one severe disruption per business, per year.
4. Leaders look to AI to grow revenue: 48% of IT leaders say a modernised network’s greatest impact on revenue will come from deploying AI tools that automate and tailor customer journeys, enabling faster, more personalised experiences that can strengthen loyalty and drive growth.
5. AI is reshaping computing infrastructure:  69% say their data centres can’t yet meet today’s AI demands, and 85% plan to expand capacity – on-prem, in the cloud, or both.
6. Leaders want to make networks smarter: 99% say autonomous, AI-powered networks are essential to future growth – yet only 50% have deployed the intelligent capabilities – like segmentation, visibility, and control – to make their network adaptive.

"AI is driving a fundamental shift across all sectors, with infrastructure playing a central role," commented Smangele Nkosi, General Manager of Cisco South Africa. "The network has been the backbone of every digital era, propelling the rise of IoT, cloud and hybrid work, while also being foundational to countering growing security challenges. Today’s IT leaders recognise that the networks they establish today will become the digital nervous system of their organisations, shaping their businesses opportunities of tomorrow," she stressed.

Value of the Network - unlocking growth and savings across South Africa

IT leaders are already delivering financial value from today’s networks – largely by improving customer experiences (68%), boosting efficiency (62%), and enabling innovation (51%). But much of that value is at risk if it comes from infrastructure that hasn’t been designed for AI or real-time scale.

To unlock the full growth and savings they expect, leaders have identified critical gaps they must close: siloed or partially integrated systems (51%), incomplete deployments (60%), and reliance on manual oversight (57%). Smarter, more secure, and adaptive networks are the business case for investment, with 9 in 10 (90%) saying improved networks will directly drive revenue, and almost all leaders (95%) expecting meaningful cost savings, driven by smarter operations, fewer outages, and lower energy use.

One of the key insights from the research is the future-proofing aspect, with today’s network playing a crucial role in the kind of business one becomes in the months and years ahead.

To that end, organisations were encouraged to invest in AI-ready infrastructure that expands data center, edge and cloud environments to run high-performance workloads closer to where data is created – unlocking lower latency and faster decisions.

Additionally, enabling future-ready workplaces with networks built for AI-powered collaboration and consistent user experiences would enable teams to move faster, smarter, and more securely.

And finally, security also took a top mention, stressing the need for resilient security by design that turns the network into a line of defence – with built-in segmentation, observability, and automation to stay ahead of rising threats.

"AI is changing everything — and infrastructure is at the heart of that reinvention. The network has powered every wave of digital transformation, accelerating the convergence of IoT, cloud, hybrid work, and defending against rising security threats," said Chintan Patel, CTO and Vice President Solutions Engineering, Cisco EMEA. "IT leaders know the network they build today will shape the business they become tomorrow. Those who act now will be the ones who lead in the AI era," he concluded.