-
Featured services
Think beyond the robots
The successful integration of AI and IoT in manufacturing will depend on effective change management, upskilling and rethinking business models.
Read the blog -
Services
Leverage our capabilities to accelerate your business transformation.
-
Services
Network Services
Popular Products
-
Private 5G
Our turnkey private 5G network enables custom-built solutions that are designed around unique use cases and strategies, and deployed, run and optimized through a full network-as-a-service model.
-
Managed Campus Networks
Our Managed Campus Networks services transform campus networks, corporate area networks and interconnected local area networks, and connect smart places and industries.
-
-
Services
Cloud
Popular Products
-
Cloud Architecture and Modernization
Discover how to achieve your business goals through cloud modernization practices, that deliver improved agility, reusability and scalability.
-
Cloud Optimization
Discover how to maximize operational excellence, business continuity and financial sustainability through our cloud-advanced optimization services.
-
-
Services
Consulting
-
-
Services
Data and Artificial intelligence
-
Services
Technology Solutions
Client stories
-
Services
Data Center Services
-
Services
CX and Design
-
Services
Application Services
-
Services
Sustainability Services
-
Services
Digital Workplace
-
Services
Business Process Solutions
Master your GenAI destiny
We’ll help you navigate the complexities and opportunities of GenAI.
Explore GenAI -
-
-
Insights
Recent Insights
-
The Future of Networking in 2025 and Beyond
-
Using the cloud to cut costs needs the right approach
When organizations focus on transformation, a move to the cloud can deliver cost savings – but they often need expert advice to help them along their journey
-
Make zero trust security work for your organization
Make zero trust security work for your organization across hybrid work environments.
-
-
Master your GenAI destiny
We’ll help you navigate the complexities and opportunities of GenAI.
Explore GenAI -
-
Master your GenAI destiny
We’ll help you navigate the complexities and opportunities of GenAI.
Explore GenAI -
Discover how we accelerate your business transformation
-
About us
CLIENT STORIES
-
Liantis
Over time, Liantis – an established HR company in Belgium – had built up data islands and isolated solutions as part of their legacy system.
-
Randstad
We ensured that Randstad’s migration to Genesys Cloud CX had no impact on availability, ensuring an exceptional user experience for clients and talent.
-
-
CLIENT STORIES
-
Liantis
Over time, Liantis – an established HR company in Belgium – had built up data islands and isolated solutions as part of their legacy system.
-
Randstad
We ensured that Randstad’s migration to Genesys Cloud CX had no impact on availability, ensuring an exceptional user experience for clients and talent.
-
-
CLIENT STORIES
-
Liantis
Over time, Liantis – an established HR company in Belgium – had built up data islands and isolated solutions as part of their legacy system.
-
Randstad
We ensured that Randstad’s migration to Genesys Cloud CX had no impact on availability, ensuring an exceptional user experience for clients and talent.
-
Everest Group PEAK Matrix® Assessment
NTT DATA is a Leader and Star Performer in the Everest Group Sustainability Enablement Technology Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024.
Get the Everest report -
- Careers
Topics in this article
At a time when organizations around the world are focusing on the network as the backbone of their digital transformation efforts, the manufacturing industry stands out for channeling more investment into this area than any other sector.
According to survey data gathered for NTT’s 2022–23 Global Network Report, 75% of manufacturers are increasing their spending on the network as part of their broader IT spending, compared with 67% of all respondents across industries. Only the real-estate and construction industry and the technology sector come close to this level of fast-rising spending.
This is perhaps not surprising for an industry like manufacturing that relies heavily on technology to support vital goals such as business growth, innovation, boosting productivity and improving customer experience.
However, while two-thirds of manufacturers agree very strongly that the network plays a crucial role in enabling these business outcomes, 68% say the maturity of their network is negatively affecting their business delivery.
Top performers are doing it already
The Global Network Report identifies some respondents as top performers, based on their revenue growth and other factors – and there are some compelling findings about the behavior of these top performers, including those in manufacturing, compared with other respondents in the survey:
- Technology strategy: While top-performing manufacturers have commonly aligned their technology strategy with their business goals, only 52% of other respondents from the manufacturing industry reported doing the same.
- Network strategy: Similarly, 90% of top performers in manufacturing have aligned their network strategy with their business goals, but only half of the other manufacturers have done the same.
- New technologies: Most top performers (more than 75%) have also implemented technologies like private 5G, edge computing and virtual private local area networks (LANs), compared with only about 45%–60% in the overall manufacturing category.
- Digital transformation: The top-performing manufacturers are speeding up their investment in digital transformation, but this was noted for only 59% of the rest of this industry.
- Network management: All top performers in manufacturing reported they are outsourcing or planning to outsource most of their network management to a managed service provider (MSP) in the next two years. Among other manufacturers, this figure was lower, at 78%.
It’s clear that success in manufacturing is coming to rely much more on technological progress than before – supported by a modern, agile network that can evolve with changing business demands.
But first, manufacturers have plenty of misalignment to straighten out. Apart from overall technology and network strategies, more than half of manufacturers said their security strategy was not aligned with their business strategy – at a time when network security should be a prime concern for any organization.
Also, nearly 60% reported misalignment between their managed-services strategy and their overall strategic business needs.
4 areas of network evolution
To address these shortcomings in the manufacturing industry, we focus on four main areas to help our clients evolve and future-proof their networks:
- The importance of the network
If 9 in 10 manufacturers agree that the network is vital in enabling outcomes related to employee experience, customer experience and cost management, why are just 42% fully satisfied with their network capability?
Costs, operational complexity and a lack of expertise are contributing to these frustrations, even as 95% agree that their dependency on the network will grow in the next two years – including an accelerating move to the cloud.
Much remains to be done to help these organizations modernize their networks and achieve higher levels of network availability, scalability and performance.
- Transforming the network
The network of the future needs to cater for changing workplace models, such as hybrid working, that require more connectivity, as well as a steep increase in connected devices because of the growing application of IoT in manufacturing.
Installing more sensors in a factory may lead to better control and data-based decision-making, resulting in cost savings and higher productivity, but only if the network provides the connectivity required for such solutions.
To transform the network, an organization needs the right budget and know-how – which isn’t always available. In this industry, 43% of organizations already outsource more than half of their network infrastructure, and 4 in 5 plan to outsource network technologies like security, the LAN and software-defined wide area networks in the next two years.
- Managing and buying networks
The complexity and cost of managing a modern network may flummox the in-house IT resources – and budgets – of many manufacturers. That’s why, according to the Global Network Report, 96% of organizations in this industry are increasingly looking to partner with an MSP like NTT – and 86% prefer a single provider instead of having to manage multiple vendors.
Rising cybersecurity threats are a big motivator in this context, and flexibility is another factor, which is why the network-as-a-service model is listed as a preference by 92% of manufacturers. This model allows organizations to rely on the expertise of an MSP in a cost-effective and scalable way, and gives them access to the latest network innovations.
- ALSO READ → What is network as a service?
- Network delivery
Much has been said about the big cloud migration, and this trend is present in manufacturing too. Again, cybersecurity concerns are top of mind, with 94% of manufacturers investing in these capabilities.
Then there’s innovation to consider: a modern network approach embraces AIOps, automation and advanced analytics, and making the most of these fast-developing technologies can be a challenge without expert assistance. As one would expect, automation is a topic close to the heart of any manufacturer, including automation in the network: 83% say a lack of automation and agility is keeping them from fully exploiting new network technology.
The value of a partnership
As part of their efforts to realize the potential of Industry 4.0 in 2023 and beyond, manufacturers need to focus on technology adoption and workforce empowerment at scale, according to the World Economic Forum.
But they cannot focus on the technology only, as is evident from our survey: business and IT goals also need to come together in support of a healthier return on investment, and this creates complexity both in the C-suite and on the factory floor.
This is where working with an MSP like NTT is valuable: we help manufacturers adapt to the demands of their business and the broader industry while our networking capabilities complement their existing infrastructure and technologies to hone their competitive edge.
Visit our Global Data and Benchmarking Portal to access the full set of Global Network Report survey data, filter and export data, and build bespoke presentations.