New EMA Research Reveals Best Practices for Improving Cloud Traffic Observability

Survey of 250 IT and cybersecurity professionals explores how enterprises are collecting, storing, and analyzing network traffic data from their public cloud environments to enable security and network operations

LAFAYETTE, Colo., Aug. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Enterprise Management Associates (EMA™), a leading IT research and consulting firm, today announced the release of its latest research report, "Cloud Network Traffic Data: Empowering Network and Security Operations in the Hybrid, Multi-Cloud Era," authored by Shamus McGillicuddy, vice president of research for network infrastructure and operations at EMA.

Findings from EMA's earlier 2025 research, "Enterprise Strategies for Hybrid, Multi-Cloud Networks," revealed that 49% of IT personnel in hybrid, multi-cloud enterprises consider network flow data essential to monitoring, troubleshooting, and optimizing their cloud networks. An additional 38% said the same for packet data. Despite its importance, only 29% of respondents were completely satisfied with the tools they use to monitor their hybrid, multi-cloud networks. This data suggests that enterprises need to improve how they collect and analyze network traffic across their cloud networks.

To address this need, EMA conducted new research focused on how enterprises collect, store, and analyze network traffic data in public cloud environments. The study also explores the approaches organizations are using to work with both packet data and flow data in the cloud. EMA surveyed 250 IT and security professionals who are directly involved with the tools and processes their organizations rely on to access and analyze cloud network traffic.

"Packets and flows are essential cloud observability data," McGillicuddy said. "They augment the metrics, logs and traces (MELT data) that cloud teams depend upon. This research found that enterprises do better with cloud traffic observability when they take a unified approach to data collection and storage, ensuring good data quality across clouds and on-premises networks."

Some of the key findings from the report include:

• Only 50% of enterprises are completely effective in how they collect and analyze cloud network traffic
• The top benefits of analyzing cloud network traffic are reduced security risk, operational efficiency, and faster detection and resolution of security incidents
• The top challenges to collecting and analyzing packet data in the public cloud are security risk, traffic encryption, and data quality
• 93% of enterprises expect packet data to become more important to cloud security operations over the next two years

This independent research was sponsored by BlueCat Networks and NETSCOUT.

A detailed analysis of the research findings is available in the report, "Cloud Network Traffic Data: Empowering Network and Security Operations in the Hybrid, Multi-Cloud Era."

To learn more, join Shamus McGillicuddy for a live webinar on August 26, where he'll share key findings and recommendations from the report.

About EMA
Founded in 1996, EMA is a leading IT research firm that provides deep insight across the full spectrum of IT and data management technologies. EMA analysts leverage a unique combination of practical experience, insight into industry best practices, and in-depth knowledge of current and planned vendor solutions to help their clients achieve their goals. Learn more about EMA research, analysis, and consulting services at https://www.enterprisemanagement.com

Media Contact:
Raleigh Gould
Enterprise Management Associates
303-543-9500
[email protected]

SOURCE Enterprise Management Associates