The allure of AI is undeniable. It promises transformative advancements across industries. However, as businesses race to embrace AI, the imperative to safeguard their networks and data becomes increasingly critical.

In fact, a new report from Extreme Networks shows that CIOs are laser-focused on securing their enterprise networks, despite the AI frenzy. The majority of IT leaders see network security as the top priority for the second half of 2024.

A survey of CIOs and senior IT leaders found that securing their enterprise network was the top IT priority, followed by integrating network and security and evaluating and deploying AI. In fact, nearly 90% of respondents expressed a desire for a unified platform that seamlessly integrates networking, AI and security, highlighting a growing industry trend toward platformization.

Over half of the CIOs surveyed ranked protecting the network against threats as one of their biggest challenges, and the same percentage said built-in security was essential when choosing a networking vendor.

By investing in networking solutions with built-in security features, organizations can establish a strong baseline of protection. These features, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems and encryption capabilities, help prevent unauthorized access, detect suspicious activity, and safeguard sensitive data.

Additionally, a secure network infrastructure provides a unified platform for implementing and managing other security measures to ensure that they work together effectively to defend against threats.

Moving on to AI implementation, sure it is a priority for many organizations, but it does come with hurdles.

The integration of AI often requires significant network bandwidth to handle the increased data processing and transfer demands. Without sufficient bandwidth, AI applications may experience delays or performance degradation.  Employee readiness is another critical factor. Many organizations may lack the necessary skills and training to effectively utilize and manage AI technologies. This can lead to inefficient use of resources and potential errors.

Finally, security concerns are paramount when implementing AI. As AI systems process and analyze large amounts of sensitive data, there is a risk of data breaches and unauthorized access. Protecting sensitive information and ensuring data privacy is essential to maintain trust and compliance with regulations.

Despite these challenges, 84% of respondents have begun integrating AI into their tech stack, but nearly half have encountered network bandwidth issues during implementation.

Moreover, the shift toward cloud networking is gaining momentum, with 36% of CIOs prioritizing a seamless transition. This trend aligns with the growing demand for platformization, which offers a unified and scalable solution that can integrate multiple components within a single, manageable interface.

As IT teams fight with the increasing complexity of managing new devices and technologies, the need for simple management solutions becomes more pressing. The proliferation of AI, IoT and hybrid work has expanded the responsibilities of IT departments. This makes it crucial to adopt solutions that can streamline operations and ensure integration with emerging technologies.

Sustainability is also a growing concern for IT teams. With technologies like AI consuming more energy, organizations are increasingly prioritizing sustainable practices. The report found that 88% of respondents believe IT departments have a responsibility to recommend technology that helps reduce their company's carbon footprint.

“In an era where AI, security and networking are increasingly intertwined, CIOs and IT leaders face a clear mandate: they need to prioritize investments that unify components and capabilities for their teams,” said Nabil Bukhari, chief product and technology officer and GM of subscription business, Extreme Networks (News - Alert). “This is another reason for the trend toward platformization and the increasing desire to integrate solutions into a single platform that is easy to use and deploy, is fully assembled and integrated out of the box and delivers exponential value through the continuous addition of new embedded capabilities and applications.”

While AI may be the current buzzword, CIOs are prioritizing network security and integration as the foundation for their digital transformation. As organizations maneuver around the complexities of AI implementation, cloud networking and sustainability, the demand for unified platforms and effective security solutions will continue to grow.