One of the benefits of my job as the caretaker of everything Pedia related is that I have a bird's-eye view of how new listings are placed into Virtuapedia and Testapedia that others just don't have. And every once in a while, that perspective provides me with a fresh insight that, while not earth shattering, does provide a provocative point or two I'd like to share with others.

Thus, this column.

This week, I had the opportunity to create several new listings in Virtuapedia's Industry Organizations, which is one of the most unique and useful parts of the Pedia. In it, there are more than 400 organizations and standards bodies that all directly relate to the communications industry, including descriptions of what they do, vendor members and industry professional members.

The new listings added this week include Fast Data - Input/Output (FD.io), an open source project to establish a high-performance IO services framework for dynamic computing environments, as well as IO Visor, an open source project to accelerate the innovation, development and sharing of virtualized in-kernel IO services for tracing, analytics, monitoring, security and networking functions.

Both of those projects are sponsored by the Linux Foundation, which is where my bird's eye comes into play. Because when I added those listings, I was able to see the overall impact of the Linux Foundation on open source initiatives that have directly impacted virtualization.

Consider these additional resources for which Linux is responsible: Open Orchestration Project (OPEN-O) enables telecom and cable operators to effectively deliver end-to-end services across network functions virtualization (NFV) infrastructure, as well as software-defined networking (SDN) and legacy network services. Open Network Operating System Project (ONOS) is an SDN operating system for service providers that makes it easy to create applications and services.

Open Container Initiative (OCI) creates open industry standards around container formats and runtime, and Open vSwitch is a multilayer virtual switch that enables network automation, while supporting standard management interfaces and protocols. OpenDaylight advances SDN and network functions virtualization, and OPNFV is a carrier-grade platform that accelerates the introduction of NFV products and services.

Want to know more about the companies, people and organizations driving developments in the virtualization sector? Check out Virtuapedia, the most comprehensive online resource covering the virtualization industry.

Not surprisingly, a couple of new company listings also reflected the importance of open source initiatives. Inocybe Technologies has developed the Open Networking Platform, an OpenDaylight platform with the ability to create distribution from a recipe, as well as customized configurations, user add-ons and repositories.

SnapRoute created its open-source FlexSwitch to make every component of the stack visible, accessible for APIs and modular, so operators can install and update only what is necessary for the infrastructure to run.

While not all open source activity stems from the Linux Foundation, of course, the points are that:

1) a great deal of it does, and

2) sometimes thinking about the impact of something that's been around just long enough to start taking it for granted is a worthwhile venture. At least it is from up here.

More than 1,600 companies and 1,600 products are now listed in Virtuapedia, making it the telecom industry's most comprehensive resource for all things related to virtualization. Some 13,000 network professionals also are now registered with Virtuapedia, giving them access not only to vendor and product information but also to the latest industry news and research from Heavy Reading.

To get your company listed in Virtuapedia, go to the Get Listed tab on the site. To join the growing ranks of the virtualization community and get access to executive summaries of Heavy Reading's research, go to the Register Now tab.

— Denise Culver, Director of Online Research, Heavy Reading