Modernising an enterprise network can feel like chasing a moving train. Just when you think you’ve caught up, the landscape shifts: Agentic AI Networking promises self-healing fabrics, SASE and Zero Trust have rewritten the security playbook, and the convergence of multi-access 5G and Wi-Fi 7 has blurred the lines between the office and the edge. Combined with a tightening web of regulatory mandates and data sovereignty laws, the “modern network” is no longer a destination, it’s a moving target. For the IT manager, the challenge is deciding which of these “trains” is worth jumping on, and which is just expensive noise.
That’s why a clear 90-day plan matters. It gives you something solid to hold on to, even while the technology landscape keeps shifting.
Why you may need a 90-day plan now
From what I’ve seen working with IT managers, the biggest mistake is trying to do everything at once. It creates noise, burns resources, and rarely delivers meaningful outcomes. A short roadmap forces clarity: it helps you prioritise what matters most and gives you a way to show progress quickly to your stakeholders. This is not about chasing shiny tech; it’s about aligning network evolution with business priorities and compliance obligations.
Day 1–30: Assess, Prioritise, and Steady the Ground
The first month is all about understanding what you truly have. It sounds simple, but many IT teams discover their documentation doesn’t match reality.
Start with a full network and security baseline. Review performance data, security posture, existing tools, cloud footprint, and how your operations team handles change and incidents. Are you meeting regulatory requirements, such as NIS2, DORA if your organisation is involved? This early check prevents surprises later and demonstrates governance maturity. Tools like Runzero can help surface what’s actually on your network, including shadow IT and forgotten devices, whilst Graylog provides centralised logging and visibility across your infrastructure. Don’t aim for perfection here, just an honest snapshot of how things work today. This becomes your reference point for every decision that follows, even if it feels a little rough around the edges.
Map business priorities to the network. Talk to business stakeholders. Find out which applications are unstable, which sites struggle with stability, what compliance pressures exist, and which new workloads, AI, robotics, sensors, are on the horizon. This keeps your plan grounded and prevents drifting into technology for its own sake.
Identify a few quick wins. Projects that can be delivered in under 12 weeks help build confidence and demonstrate progress. Examples include AI-assisted incident detection to reduce the time your team spends correlating alerts across a dozen monitoring tools; an initial phase of SASE to relieve VPN bottlenecks and address user complaints about slow logins; or deploying Zero Trust Network Access for remote users on a single platform. Automated configuration management to prevent drift, or improving telemetry to close visibility gaps, are also strong candidates, each showing momentum without causing major disruption. All of these should serve the broader purpose of sketching a lighter target architecture.
Don’t over-polish this, it’s a guide, not a fixed blueprint. Just enough structure to keep everyone moving in the same direction.
Day 31–60: Run pilots that prove the direction
This is often the most energising phase because ideas start turning into reality.
Try an AI-driven pilot. Choose something contained: predictive capacity analytics, automated anomaly detection, or a carefully controlled closed-loop remediation test, where the system detects and fixes issues automatically. For instance, Cisco‘s and Extreme Network’s AI-native networking capabilities, can help reduce alert noise and speed up troubleshooting. Set realistic KPIs, like reducing alert noise or cutting MTTR. You may not hit them all, and that’s okay; pilots are meant to be a little messy.
Start a SASE or Zero Trust access pilot. Focus on groups where the benefits are obvious: remote staff, high-risk users, or teams handling sensitive applications. The goal is simple: stronger security and a smoother experience. Cisco’s Secure Access solutions can streamline this transition whilst maintaining the audit trails needed for NIS2 and DORA compliance. If people notice performance improving, you’re on the right track. Ensure logging and audit trails meet NIS2/DORA requirements. This is where Graylog‘s compliance reporting features become particularly useful.
Improve resiliency with unified observability. Pull all your monitoring into one place: traffic flows, proactive testing, user experience metrics, and device health checks. Add KPIs for mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to report (MTTR). Graylog can aggregate logs from across your environment, making it easier to spot patterns and meet compliance-driven reporting obligations.
Begin shifting towards network-as-code. Introduce Infrastructure-as-Code templates, standard policies, and CI/CD automation for network changes. It may feel uncomfortable at first, many teams hesitate here, but even small steps reduce risk and speed up future work.
Day 61–90: Scale, Refine, and Prepare to Go Wider
The final weeks are about taking what works and giving it room to grow.
Expand SASE or Zero Trust across more groups and sites. Use lessons learned earlier to fine-tune access policies, identity integrations, micro-segmentation choices, and continuous authentication models. The key is to scale without overwhelming your operations team.
Build a multi-access strategy with Wi-Fi and private 5G. Look at locations where AR/VR, robotics, AGVs, or simply high device density and latency-sensitive environments push your current wireless to its limits. Extreme Networks‘ Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 solutions can handle these demanding environments, particularly where you need reliable coverage for mission-critical applications. A small private 5G pilot or updated Wi-Fi 6E/7 coverage can reveal what future traffic patterns will demand.
Integrate AI and automation into day-to-day operations. Move from experiments to cautious production use: automated change validation, proactive remediation, policy suggestions, and predictive maintenance alerts. Keep approval workflows in place so governance stays intact.
Present a 12-month transformation plan to leadership. Pull together the outcomes from the first 90 days, the KPIs you’ve met (or nearly met), and a realistic roadmap for broader rollout. Be upfront about where investment is needed and where risks remain. In my experience, leaders value honesty more than a polished story.
What success looks like
Success is measurable: AI-driven operations might deliver a 20 – 30% reduction in alert fatigue and 15% faster MTTR. SASE/Zero Trust can show up in authentication success rates, latency improvements, user satisfaction scores. Network-as-code success shows in the percentage of automated changes and fewer configuration errors.
By the way, according to Gartner, by 2026, 30% of enterprises will automate more than half of their network activities (Gartner). IDC emphasises that KPIs should evolve to measure agility and business impact, not just technical outputs (IDC).
Compliance as a Strategic Imperative.
Beyond performance and innovation, compliance is now a critical driver. EU directives such as NIS2 (Network and Information Security Directive) and DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) impose strict requirements on resilience, incident reporting, and supply chain security. Non-compliance can lead to significant fines and reputational damage. A structured 90-day roadmap helps demonstrate proactive risk management and governance alignment, ensuring your network meets regulatory expectations while supporting business continuity.
Closing Perspective
If I could share one lesson it would be this: complexity is unavoidable, but standing still is a choice. Real progress begins with focused, incremental steps that deliver tangible value and build confidence. Technology alone will not transform your network, success depends equally on culture and process. Organisations that treat networking as an adaptive, evolving capability rather than a fixed asset consistently achieve better outcomes.
A 90-day roadmap won’t revolutionise your infrastructure, but it will create momentum. It gives you visibility, safe spaces to test ideas, and a framework for scaling what works. Embedding resiliency and compliance early ensures you meet regulatory obligations while strengthening operational trust.
And remember: you don’t have to tackle this journey alone. Partnering with a provider who understands your environment and regulatory pressures can make the difference between incremental progress and real transformation. The goal is clear: keep moving forward without adding unnecessary complexity, which is often the hardest challenge of all.
Where a Trusted Partner Can Help
Damovo can play a critical role in making this roadmap actionable:
In the first 30 days, we help you understand what you actually have, mapping out your network, spotting security gaps, and finding opportunities for quick improvements using smarter monitoring tools that reduce manual work.
During days 31–60, we run small-scale tests with AI-powered systems, improved security access for remote workers, and pull all your monitoring into one place so you can spot problems faster and meet reporting requirements.
In the final month, we expand what’s working to more people and locations, test newer wireless technology where you need it, and start weaving helpful automation into everyday tasks, without losing control or oversight.
Beyond the 90 days, Damovo keeps supporting you with clear dashboards that show what’s improved, help you stay compliant with regulations, and give you the evidence you need to show leadership that the investment is paying off.
With deep vendor partnerships, across Cisco, Extreme Networks, Graylog, Runzero and many other innovative vendors, compliance expertise, and a managed services backbone, Damovo helps organisations move from complexity to clarity and from pilots to production without overwhelming your internal teams.