Unified data achieves faster MTTD & shorter MTTR, says VIAVI study

According to the 2025/2026 State of the Network study by VIAVI, reliance on packet capture to improve mean time to detection (MTTD) and mean time to resolution (MTTR) is expected to increase in 79% of enterprise organisations this year.

Published annually in partnership with Enterprise Strategy Group, now part of Omdia, the study explores how IT network and security teams are adapting to meet the demands of hybrid infrastructure, growing cloud complexity, and increasing pressure to detect and resolve issues more quickly. Drawing on insights from 750 global professionals, the report highlights a clear shift towards deeper network observability, renewed reliance on packet capture, enhanced cross-functional collaboration in cloud monitoring, and the accelerating convergence of network operations (NetOps) and security operations (SecOps).

The research found that organisations with robust packet capture capabilities reported significant improvements in MTTD. In fact, twice as many respondents with strong packet capture experienced a substantially shorter MTTD compared to those without such capabilities. Additionally, these organisations were four times more likely to resolve issues in under an hour and nearly 35% more likely to resolve them within three hours.

“As environments become more distributed and threats increasingly dynamic, the path forward is clear. Unified visibility, smarter tools, and operational alignment are no longer optional, they are essential,” said Chris Labac, Vice President and General Manager, Network Performance and Threat Solutions at VIAVI. “Packet-level visibility has been proven to accelerate the detection, response, and resolution of network issues. Our findings show that organisations not only recognise the need for full-fidelity forensics, multi-cloud visibility, and NetSecOps alignment, but are actively taking steps to enhance overall network observability,” Labac added. 

Key findings include:

• 79% of organisations report a growing reliance on packet data, with measurable improvements in MTTD, MTTR, and alert accuracy.

• Organisations with strong packet visibility are four times more likely to achieve MTTR under one hour compared to those without.

• The move towards multi-cloud environments is driving a 125% increase in collaborative monitoring approaches.

• 42% of organisations implementing NetSecOps models reported improved security outcomes.

• Although 92% of organisations said their budgets were adequate, 78% felt more support was needed to prepare for increasing network security threats.

“Networks are under constant threat and increasingly stretched. Yet what is clear from the VIAVI and ESG research is that most companies are taking active steps to improve uptime,” said Jim Frey, Principal Analyst, Networking at Enterprise Strategy Group, part of Informa Tech Target. “Despite challenging times, investment is set to rise across the board for all 11 IT solutions we examined. That’s an encouraging sign and this research pinpoints exactly where organisations are achieving the greatest return on investment, enabling best practices to be shared across the industry.”