Cary, NC, July 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- INE, a global provider of IT training for networking, cybersecurity, and cloud professionals, today highlighted how its established network security training and Cisco training programs directly address the critical skills gap facing enterprises as they upgrade network infrastructure to support artificial intelligence workloads. This statement comes as new research reveals significant readiness challenges across enterprise networks.
"The convergence of AI and networking represents one of the most significant shifts we've seen in enterprise IT," said Brian McGahan, 4x CCIE and Director of Networking Content at INE. "What many organizations don't realize is that successful AI implementations depend fundamentally on solid networking foundations. The protocols, architectures, and automation skills that we've been teaching for years are exactly what enterprises need to support AI workloads effectively."
A recent survey by Enterprise Management Associates (EMA) of 269 North American IT professionals found:
- Only 49% of respondents believe their data center networks are ready for AI traffic
- 48% believe their wide area networks are fully prepared for AI traffic.
- 74% of surveyed organizations have at least some AI applications in production.
The EMA study reveals that the top business challenges to networking for AI are:
- Security risk (39%)
- Budget issues (34%)
- Difficulties with keeping up the pace of AI innovation (33%)
Addressing the Skills Crisis
The skills shortage presents a dual challenge for IT leaders: attracting new talent while upskilling existing teams. Industry analysts project a significant shortage of AI-skilled workers, with McKinsey & Co. projecting that demand will outpace supply by two-to-four times through at least 2027. Meanwhile, 53% of organizations report skills gaps in managing specialized computing infrastructure, creating pressure on training budgets and employee retention strategies.
For IT decision-makers, this translates to direct business impact. The EMA study found that the top business concerns around AI networking include security risk (39%), budget constraints (34%), and difficulties keeping pace with rapid technology evolution (33%). Organizations struggling with these challenges face delayed AI implementations, increased security vulnerabilities, and competitive disadvantage.
According to Shamus McGillicuddy, vice president of research for network infrastructure and operations at EMA, "Networks will make or break enterprise investments in AI technology. IT organizations are well-aware of this fact. However, preparing networks for AI will be expensive and complex."
Centers of Excellence Drive Strategic Alignment
A growing number of companies are establishing AI centers of excellence to lead strategy across technical teams and business units. These organizations recognize that successful AI implementation requires coordination between networking, security, application development, and business stakeholders.
"Centers of excellence represent a best practice approach to AI adoption," McGahan explained. "However, these teams are only as effective as the technical expertise they can draw upon. Having networking professionals who understand both traditional enterprise requirements and AI-specific needs is essential for these initiatives to succeed."
McGahan points out that AI workloads behave fundamentally differently from traditional enterprise applications. They require east-west bandwidth for model training, ultra-low latency for inference operations, and sophisticated traffic management for distributed AI workloads. “Many networking professionals haven't encountered these requirements before,” McGahan says.
Strategic Workforce Development Over Technology Chasing
The research reveals a critical insight for IT leaders: organizations that hired networking experts with deep technical foundations reported more success than those focused solely on AI-specific training. This finding validates a cost-effective approach to workforce development that builds lasting capabilities rather than chasing technology trends.
"IT training budgets are under pressure, and leaders need strategies that deliver sustained value," McGahan explained. "Investing in foundational networking expertise creates teams that can adapt to any technological shift – whether it's today's AI requirements, tomorrow's quantum networking, or technologies we haven't even imagined yet. Our IT training programs build the analytical thinking and technical depth that make professionals valuable across their entire careers."
INE is developing targeted training programs to address these specific challenges, building on its established leadership in advanced networking education, including:
- AI Infrastructure Networking: Covering specialized protocols like RoCE (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) and NVMe over Fabrics
- High-Speed Ethernet Technologies: Training on 800 GbE implementations and optimization
- Network Automation for AI: Programming and orchestration skills for dynamic AI workload management
- Software-Defined Networking (SDN): Critical for the flexibility required in AI environments
"We're seeing a growing demand for training in areas like InfiniBand, GPU interconnects, and AI-optimized network fabrics," McGahan noted. "Our hands-on lab platform allows networking professionals to gain practical experience with technologies they'll encounter in production AI environments. For IT leaders, this isn't just about training – it's about risk management."
Industry-Leading Expertise
INE's approach leverages the expertise of world-class instructors, including McGahan, who achieved CCIE Lifetime Emeritus status in 2022 after earning four CCIE certifications. The company has trained tens of thousands of networking professionals globally and maintains partnerships with leading technology vendors.
"We're not just teaching theoretical concepts," McGahan emphasized. "Our training programs provide hands-on experience with the actual technologies enterprises are implementing. Students work with real equipment configurations and scenarios they'll encounter when supporting AI workloads in production environments."
Competitive Advantage Through Technical Excellence
The business case is clear: as AI becomes integral to competitive strategy, the organizations with the strongest networking foundations will capture market opportunities while others struggle with technical debt and implementation delays. INE's network certification training programs provide the technical depth that transforms AI investment risk into competitive advantage.
About INE Security:
INE Security is the award-winning premier provider of online networking and cybersecurity training and certification. Harnessing a powerful hands-on lab platform, cutting-edge technology, a global video distribution network, and world-class instructors, INE is the top training choice for Fortune 500 companies worldwide for cybersecurity training in business and for IT professionals looking to advance their careers. INE’s suite of learning paths offers an incomparable depth of expertise across cybersecurity and is committed to delivering advanced technical training while also lowering the barriers worldwide for those looking to enter and excel in an IT career.
Kathryn Brown INE kbrown@ine.com
