Light Reading's OSS in the Era of SDN & NFV is the industry's premier forum for the discussion of the impact of SDN and NFV on network operations and OSS.

James Crawshaw, Principal Analyst, Service Provider Operations and IT, Omdia

September 27, 2017

2 Min Read
Untangling the Operational Complexities of SDN & NFV

AT&T executives recently published a book, Building the Network of the Future, that explains the transition to software-defined networking, or as they put it: "getting smarter, faster and more flexible with a software-centric approach." In the chapter on network operations, Irene Shannon and Jennifer Yates suggest that NFV presents a double-edged sword, providing opportunities to reduce opex and improve customer experience, but at the same time introducing "additional layers of complexity from an operational point of view."

Light Reading's OSS in the Era of SDN & NFV aims to unpick these layers of complexity and provide a forum to debate the best way forward. In the panel "Lessons Learned So Far in Operationalizing NFV," we'll hear from David Hughes, VP of IP engineering with PCCW Ltd. (NYSE: PCW; Hong Kong: 0008), about the challenges of automating dynamic, virtual networks and how these can be integrated with legacy physical networks. We'll discuss whether virtualization is close to delivering on the promise of reduced cost and increased agility or if it has simply added to the headache of network management.

In the panel on cloud-native networks and OSS we'll learn from Klaus Martiny, senior program manager for Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT), and Hossen Maudar, director of IT architecture, business analysis and product modelling for Colt Technology Services Group Ltd , about how OSS software for performance management, service assurance and fault management will need to adapt to cloud-native networks and who is making the most progress on that front.

My colleague, Heavy Reading Senior Analyst Sandra O’Boyle, will chair a popular panel on analytics, machine learning and AI in next-generation OSS/BSS where she will be joined by Oliver Cantor, associate director of network product strategy at Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), to discuss the leading use cases of AI and machine learning in operations -- in particular self-healing service assurance.

The event will also have keynote CSP presenters including Neil McRae, chief network architect for BT . Now in its fourth year, OSS in the Era of SDN & NFV takes place in London, UK on November 1. The event continues to build on its successes as the industry's premier forum for the discussion of the impact of SDN and NFV on network operations and OSS. I hope you can join me there.

— James Crawshaw, Senior Analyst,Heavy Reading

Read more about:

EuropeOmdia

About the Author(s)

James Crawshaw

Principal Analyst, Service Provider Operations and IT, Omdia

James Crawshaw is a contributing analyst to Heavy Reading's Insider reports series. He has more than 15 years of experience as an analyst covering technology and telecom companies for investment banks and industry research firms. He previously worked as a fund manager and a management consultant in industry.

Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes it's completely free.

You May Also Like