What an incredible few days at the Gartner® IT Infrastructure, Operations & Cloud Strategies Conference in London. Over two days at ExCeL London, we had the opportunity to meet with infrastructure, operations and cloud leaders from around the world to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping the next decade of enterprise IT. The conversations, questions and deep-dive discussions showed just how much the world of infrastructure and operations is shifting – and how urgently organizations are looking for simpler, more secure ways to connect and protect their people.

Key Themes We Heard from I&O Leaders

Across conversations at Booth 600, several consistent themes stood out:

  1. Hybrid cloud and AI maturity are accelerating—while complexity continues to rise.
    Organizations are rapidly advancing their use of cloud-native services, AI/GenAI and emerging agentic AI models. With this acceleration, leaders are striving to keep security and operational governance aligned without slowing down innovation.
  2. The pressure to demonstrate value is stronger than ever.
    I&O teams are being asked to show measurable business outcomes, not just technical outcomes. This includes cost optimization, resilience, performance and enabling new digital capabilities.
  3. Security and connectivity are converging, fast.
    We saw strong demand for architectural simplification through SD-WAN, SSE and full SASE adoption, with a shift toward managed models that reduce the operational burden on internal teams.

These themes reinforce what we at Open Systems have prioritized for decades: enabling secure, reliable global operations with simplicity at the core.

Conversations at Booth 600

Our discussions with attendees focused on practical steps for navigating current infrastructure and cloud realities:

  • How SD-WAN, SSE and SASE You Can Trust provide a unifying architecture for secure connectivity.
  • How global, 24×7 operations enhance resilience and ensure consistent security outcomes worldwide.
  • How enterprises can transition from technology-driven approaches to service-driven outcomes.
  • How to build security and connectivity models that support hybrid workforces, cloud-first strategies and modern digital services.
  • Why choosing European-based suppliers matters for sovereignty, compliance and operational alignment.

We appreciated the thoughtful, candid exchanges about real-world challenges, from legacy network constraints to AI-driven transformation initiatives.

Why we talked about Universal ZTNA

That’s why our keynote focused on Universal Zero Trust Network Access: secure, identity-based access for anyone, anywhere, across all environments. Universal ZTNA removes the friction of legacy VPNs and creates a consistent security posture without adding operational overhead.

One thing became very clear: this shift is not just timely, it’s necessary.

Key takeaways from the keynote

  1. VPNs and legacy tools weren’t built for today’s device-diverse, globally distributed workforce.
  2. Universal ZTNA enables seamless, secure access everywhere — cloud, on-prem, remote, hybrid.
  3. Visibility is the essential first step. You must understand users, identities and applications before you migrate.
  4. Successful transformations happen in phases. Start small, learn quickly, expand with confidence.

These insights resonated strongly with leaders across industries — especially those managing hybrid cloud, global operations, and accelerating AI/GenAI adoption.

Moving Forward: Secure Simplicity as a Strategic Imperative

As complexity increases, simplicity – not minimalism, but architected, operational simplicity – emerges as a differentiator for I&O leaders. The insights shared at Gartner IOCS 2025 mirror what we see daily in our work with global enterprises such as CLAAS, Sika, Mammut and GEA.

We will continue to support organizations in advancing resilience, security and performance through managed SASE—backed by 35 years of global expertise.

Thank You

If you missed the keynote, want the slides, or would like to dive deeper into Universal ZTNA, SASE you can trust, or real-world migration paths, we’d love to connect.

Thank you again to everyone who made this year’s Gartner IOCS such a strong and inspiring event. We’re already looking forward to the next one.

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