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Network security has perhaps never been more vital than in 2026. With the convergence of networking and security, in concert with the influence of AI seemingly growing by the day, the complexity and volume of cyber threats is increasing at a rapid rate.

The traditional architecture of networking is being reframed. The interconnectedness of millions of devices around the globe contributes to the complex and nuanced challenges facing the networking industry. Where AI comes in is in scale and efficiency of threats. The sheer volume of bad actors, as well as the number of devices in any given network, means that human intervention alone is unable to keep up with the demands of modern networking.

This presents a significant challenge for IT teams: now, not only must they be agile and nimble in their response to present-day AI-fuelled threats, but also proactive in adapting to the evolving dangers of the near future.

Matt Hanmer, Regional Director, SASE & Security (APJ) at HPE Networking argues that whilst the networking landscape is evolving rapidly, this shift presents new opportunities, if you are equipped to manage the risks

"The reality is that we live in a world now of machine to machine cybersecurity engagement," Hanmer said.

"Both sophisticated and non-sophisticated attackers are using pre-built tools that operate at a scale that cannot be matched by manual processes

"Part of this is to do with the number of devices that are connected to the networks, making it impossible for teams to manage and secure every endpoint.

Hanmer says that "HPE Networking is managingresponding to this by leveraging  through the utilisation of AI and AI-driven operations across all aspects of its business to help customers be able to use automation to quickly generate insights and make decisions. 

"We are talking about a world where you have autonomous, self-driving networks…It's a very exciting time."

One of the key challenges facing enterprise IT teams is securing increasingly distributed environments as osrganisations typically have employees operating across multiple locations, devices and time zones.

Maintaining remote access, allowing team members the freedom and flexibility to connect from anywhere, adds additional intricacies to keeping an organisation's client's network safe from danger.

These challenges impact virtually every organisation, regardless of industry. All businesses now rely on digital connectivity. With people, devices and systems connecting anytime, anywhere and from any device, the attack surface continues to expand, increasing the complexity of securing modern environments.

"The reality is that technology today is seen as a core part of every business, underpinning innovation, new revenue models and competitive differentiation," Hanmer said.

Another challenge faced by modern businesses is the rise of ubiquitous connectivity, for people, devices, and systems to connect to a network anytime, anywhere, and from any device, which significantly expands the attack surface.  

"Organisations have got to balance the position of providing capability in a secure way. That is why network security is more important than ever before," Hanmer explained.

Zero Trust, a process that treats every user, device and application as untrusted until continuously verified and limits access based on identity, role, alongside SASE, helps to facilitate the convergence of networking and security, while optimising access for each person within an organisation.

Zero Trust includes three main principles; and those are never assume trust, continuously verify, and enforce least privilege access.

"This starts with visibility, and once we understand who and what is connected to the network, we can ensure users have the appropriate access based on their role," Hanmer explained.

"Enforcement involves keeping network traffic secure and separated based on business dynamics, while monitoring focuses on continuously adjusting trust levels according to user access and contextual signals.

"The final piece of the puzzle is continuous monitoring, which allows organisations to dynamically adjust trust and access levels based on user behaviour, access patterns and contextual signals, resulting in a constantly evolving response to risk."

As networks continue to evolve in scale and complexity, organisations that can embed security into the fabric of connectivity, with greater reliance on automation and intelligence, will be better placed to adapt to whatever comes next.

"Organisations that get this right will be empowered to be agile and meet new challenges of this exponentially digital age while those that don't will be playing catch-up for longer," Hanmer concluded.