Enterprise network engineers often find themselves locked out of the public cloud. As companies shift the core of their digital infrastructure from data centers to the cloud, DevOps and cloud teams build their own networks.
As a result, network engineering teams are relegated to managing interconnects between these cloud silos and the on-premises network. Many network engineers are content with this, but others see the risks of inefficient network design, complexity and inconsistent security. Network engineers should establish a presence in their organizations' cloud environments, but they might be unsure where to start.
One good starting point is DNS, DHCP and IP address management. Network engineers use DDI to control and automate operations around these core network addressing technologies. Cloud teams tend to take a more chaotic approach, which leads to the following issues:
- Fragmented and overlapping IP address space.
- Inconsistent DNS configurations.
- Stale DNS records.
- Major security gaps around DNS infrastructure.
These issues create an increasingly attractive attack surface for hackers. Network engineers specializing in DDI must lead a more unified approach to the framework. This article discusses the challenges in how cloud teams manage DDI and explains how network engineers can refine their approach to address these issues.
The risks of fragmented DDI across cloud
Network engineers could improve cloud resilience and reduce security risks by extending enterprise DDI into the cloud. They understand IP address planning, DNS zone management and DHCP configuration. They also know how to manage all three together at scale with the DDI platforms to control on-premises networks. Unfortunately, many of them remain frozen out of the cloud.
According to Enterprise Management Associates' DDI Directions 2026 report, which polled 300 enterprise IT professionals, only 37% of DDI engineers and architects believe they have sufficient influence over how DDI technology is implemented in the public cloud. DDI pros in multi-cloud companies reported having even less influence, presumably because they're struggling to partner with multiple cloud teams rather than just one.
This influence gap presents risks. According to EMA's research, a lack of influence over DDI implementation in the cloud correlates with the following:
- Less success with overall DDI strategy.
- Insecure DNS infrastructure.
- An inability to automate DDI operations, which breaks cloud infrastructure operations.
How DDI engineers can earn cloud clout
DDI teams can establish better partnerships with cloud teams in the following ways:
Close the cloud gap
DDI teams should get executive buy-in. Right now, a huge gap exists between how IT executives and technical personnel perceive this issue. Recall that just 37% of DDI engineers and architects believe they have enough cloud influence. Among IT executives, however, 59% responded likewise. Executives have a blind spot to the risks posed by this siloed approach to DDI. DDI subject matter experts need to raise this issue up the chain of command.
Ensure cloud compatibility
Cloud teams often prefer different tools and technologies from those that network engineers use. They view on-premises networks as legacy technology. Before network engineers ask cloud teams to integrate their operations with the enterprise's DDI strategy, they need to ensure that DDI tools are cloud-friendly.
This also means the DDI stack needs to enable highly automated operations. It also needs an open and modern API. In fact, EMA's research found that only 41% of IT pros are fully satisfied with the quality of their DDI platforms APIs. Sufficient API quality correlated very strongly with having more influence over DDI implementation in the cloud.
Network engineers need DDI that integrates with and manages IP addresses and DNS services in the public cloud. Many DDI vendors can discover DDI assets in public cloud environments, but they can't manage them directly. In other words, some DDI vendors give network engineers visibility into cloud IP space and DNS, but they don't give them control over these assets.
EMA expects most DDI vendors to add more direct management of cloud DDI over the next year or two, but that capability is long overdue. Today, 66% of DDI pros say they need a DDI platform that actively controls and manages IP address space in the public cloud, and 68% say they need their IP address management tools to integrate with and manage cloud DNS services.
The way forward for unified DDI in the cloud
The path forward shouldn't be confrontational. DDI teams aren't trying to make things hard for cloud teams or act as gatekeepers -- they want to be useful. Potential ways DDI can help cloud teams include the following:
- Manage IP address allocation for cloud workloads.
- Navigate DNS integration challenges for cloud teams.
- Providing visibility dashboards.
DDI teams must bring cloud-friendly options to the table that integrate seamlessly into DevOps and CloudOps toolchains. Otherwise, they'll miss their opportunity to build credibility with cloud teams.
Shamus McGillicuddy is vice president of research for the network management practice at Enterprise Management Associates (EMA). He has more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry and has written extensively about the network infrastructure market. Prior to joining EMA, McGillicuddy was the news director for Informa TechTarget's SearchNetworking site.
