Three network issues CIOs must address as security and AI reshape operations

Enterprise networks are being judged not only by availability and performance, but also by how well organizations can document their security, meet regulatory demands and prepare for AI agents. In an interview with Techtidningen, Emil Persson, CEO and co-founder of Swedish network company Aranya, identifies three connected challenges.

First, requirements have changed over the past ten years. Persson points to the cybersecurity law, CIS, DORA and various ISO standards, saying organizations must work more systematically and proactively. A network that works technically can still create problems if its design, security levels and incident procedures are not documented.

Second, companies struggle to recruit and retain network and security specialists, especially outside Sweden’s major cities. Concentrating knowledge among one or two technicians can turn staff changes into an operational risk. Aranya was founded twelve years ago by Persson and two co-founders after they saw demand for network as a service, or NaaS.

Aranya’s ACP platform combines information from different vendors and presents the network as one service. Persson says it currently manages more than 20,000 devices in more than ten countries.

Third, AI agents are beginning to perform operational work. Aranya uses AI for troubleshooting and optimization and plans to add more agent functions in 2027. Persson says that, after AI’s mainly prompt-based role up to 2026, authority, control and responsibility are becoming central network-security questions.