# The Data Center Networking Imperative: Key Trends Driving the Next Era of Data Centers

> In our latest Market Study, The Data Center Networking Imperative: Key Trends Driving the Next Era of Data Centers, The Futurum Group explores how IT leaders are elevating reliability to a business imperative.

- Canonical: https://trial.futurumgroup.com/research-reports/data-center-networking-imperative-key-trends-driving-the-next-era-of-data-centers/
- Kind: Research Report
- Published: 2025-09-16T13:10:55.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-07T19:30:16.000Z
- Authors: [Mitch Ashley](https://trial.futurumgroup.com/mitch-ashley/)
- Practice areas: [CIO Insights](https://trial.futurumgroup.com/practice-areas/cio-technology-buyers/), [Cloud & Infrastructure](https://trial.futurumgroup.com/practice-areas/hybrid-cloud-infrastructure/)
- Tags: AIops, automation, digital twin, futurum research, Hybrid Cloud, incident response, network operations, Networking Data Center, Nokia, Reliability
- Access: The full report, its underlying data and the analyst time behind it are available to Futurum clients. The body served here is the report’s public summary and is free to read, quote and cite with attribution.

Modern data centers are under immense pressure to deliver always-on services. Reliability has emerged as the top priority for IT leaders, surpassing ease of integration and operational simplicity. Downtime is no longer just an inconvenience—it poses direct risks to revenue, customer trust, and SLA compliance. This new market study report from Futurum Research, in partnership with Nokia, explores the forces shaping the future of data center networking. Based on a global survey of IT leaders, it identifies the top criteria for network investment, the frequency and causes of outages, and the barriers organizations face in improving reliability. The research highlights how leaders are prioritizing automation, AIOps, and modernization strategies to reduce human error, mitigate hardware and software failures, and ensure resilient performance across hybrid environments. Readers will gain practical insights into the metrics, investments, and strategies that will define the next era of data center networking. In this report, you will learn: Why reliability is the #1 decision criterion, selected by 86% of IT leaders. How common downtime is—74% of organizations experienced outages in the past year. The KPIs and SLAs most organizations use to track and enforce reliability. The top barriers to reliability, from compliance complexity to software bugs. Where organizations are investing next, including automation, AIOps, and modernization. If you are interested in learning more, be sure to download your copy of The Data Center Networking Imperative: Key Trends Driving the Next Era of Data Centers today.