Over 50% of businesses in the Asia Pacific (APAC) reported revenue losses of US$5 million or more due to network outages or poor performance, according to IDC InfoBrief commissioned by Expereo.
"To drive a sustainable competitive advantage, connectivity is no longer an IT concern – it is a strategic business imperative, said Ben Elms, CEO of Expereo. "This research confirms what many technology leaders are already experiencing firsthand: connectivity is now the backbone of business. As organisations race to adopt new AI solutions, the C-suite must treat network performance with the same urgency as cybersecurity and AI itself, because without it, businesses simply cannot succeed."
Network and connectivity as a business backbone
The report titled "Enterprise Horizons 2025: Technology Leaders Priorities: Achieving Digital Agility" also revealed that 50% of APAC businesses seek to re-evaluate their technology infrastructure amidstIT disruptions such as cybersecurity breaches and connectivity failures over the past years.
Networking and connectivity have risen higher on the C-suite agenda, according to 40% of tech leaders in the region. It also leads the list of investment priorities for APAC businesses over the next 12 months (48%), followed by cybersecurity (46%), and AI (38%).
APAC organisations cite inadequate network and connectivity performance as hindering their growth plans (30.7%) and impeding their ability to support large-scale data and AI initiatives (44%).
However, only 8% of businesses in APAC report being fully prepared to support AI without any barriers.
Eric Wong, president, APAC, at Expereo, added, "We're seeing a direct correlation between network performance and bottom-line success, and the data confirms that the conversation around connectivity has matured from an IT concern to a strategic business imperative, particularly here in the Asia Pacific region.”
