“AI is hungry — for bandwidth, for speed, and for talent.” — Jean-Philippe Avelange, Chief Information Officer, Expereo

Jean-Philippe Avelange, CIO of Expereo, joined Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, to discuss findings from Expereo’s Horizon Telecom Report—revealing how U.S. organizations are losing millions to network failures and struggling to find skilled professionals in cybersecurity, networking, and data automation.

Avelange explained that as companies digitize everything from collaboration to customer experience, connectivity interruptions now directly halt business operations, making network reliability as vital as cybersecurity. “Modern enterprises are building their products and services on connectivity. When it stops, business stops,” he noted.

The AI multiplier

AI adoption is compounding the challenge. “AI is not just another workload—it’s a new kind of demand,” Avelange said. AI-driven automation, real-time data flows, and low-latency interactions place unprecedented pressure on legacy network architectures. Organizations can no longer treat networking as a commodity; they must rethink it as a strategic platform requiring redesign and intelligent automation.

The human factor

According to Avelange, the real shortage isn’t people—it’s adaptability. The industry needs professionals skilled in network automation, data flow optimization, and problem solving, not just hardware management. “AI won’t solve your problem if you don’t understand the problem,” he said, advocating for upskilling internal teams alongside strong partnerships with managed service providers (MSPs) that bring intelligence, not just infrastructure.

Latency by design

Latency, Avelange warned, must be addressed before deployment. “You can always add bandwidth, but you can’t add speed after the fact. Latency has to be engineered from the start.”

A new mindset

For Expereo, the future of networking lies in intelligent connectivity—solutions that merge automation, analytics, and agility to keep enterprises resilient in the AI era. “We’re not selling boxes,” Avelange said. “We’re helping companies design the networks their digital business runs on.”

Read more in the Horizon Telecom Report or visit expereo.com.