It should be an open and shut case, but it's not. And I make no apologies for the pun.
Defining "open" is much harder than it sounds when it comes to telecom equipment and networks. But I thought it was worth a try, so I put some questions to top service providers and then compiled the six answers I received. (See 6 Degrees of Separation: SPs Define 'Open'.)
Notice I didn't even try to put this question to makers of hardware and software, as I was quite sure their answers would be heavily influenced by product strategies. Even so, the perspectives from the service providers weren't in lockstep. Some stuck to the basics, while others got very specific, but all saw the value of openness both to themselves and to their customers.
And that's really the point here: Open as a concept can mean different things to different people and probably always will. But when it comes to applying "openness" to how telecom companies put together their networks, and how enterprises and even consumers connect to those networks, being on the same page is critical.
And this is something on which all six service providers agree: Misuse of the word and concept of "open" by vendors who add that description to their really quite closed technology systems is rampant, detectable, and pointless.
Or to paraphrase US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, in his now-famous ruling on obscenity -- service providers may not always be able to define openness, but they know it when they see it.
Software-defined WANs were the hot topic a year ago at Light Reading's NFV-SDN event, and a lot has happened since. What grabs the spotlight this year?
Russo, the man who cashed in pretty quickly on his first major success, Cerent, is leading a much longer-term effort to bring software-defined networking to the access realm at Calix.
SD-WAN market set to surge but it's not replacing MPLS anytime soon, and there will be security and operational challenges ahead, according to a 451 Research survey.
The 'gleaming city on a hill,' Steve Saunders calls it. But who is going to take us from today's NFV componentry to the grand future of a self-driving network? Here's a look at the vendors hoping to make it happen.
With the mobile ecosystem becoming increasingly vulnerable to security threats, AdaptiveMobile has laid out some of the key considerations for the wireless community.
Understanding the full experience of women in technology requires starting at the collegiate level (or sooner) and studying the technologies women are involved with, company cultures they're part of and personal experiences of individuals.
During this WiC radio show, we will talk with Nicole Engelbert, the director of Research & Analysis for Ovum Technology and a 23-year telecom industry veteran, about her experiences and perspectives on women in tech. Engelbert covers infrastructure, applications and industries for Ovum, but she is also involved in the research firm's higher education team and has helped colleges and universities globally leverage technology as a strategy for improving recruitment, retention and graduation performance.
She will share her unique insight into the collegiate level, where women pursuing engineering and STEM-related degrees is dwindling. Engelbert will also reveal new, original Ovum research on the topics of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, security and augmented reality, as well as discuss what each of those technologies might mean for women in our field. As always, we'll also leave plenty of time to answer all your questions live on the air and chat board.
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