It's time to get on with the real world.

For telecom network operators and their fellow travelers, the "real world" in 2013 will inevitably involve SDN (software-defined networking, as our copy editors will dutifully point out) [Damn right -- copy ed.]. The learning curve for SDN will be steep and treacherous. But failure to attempt the climb is not an option.

The good news for loyal Light Reading readers -- and you know who you are -- is that we're ready to start The Year of SDN in a big way. The work begins in earnest on Monday, Jan. 14, when Heavy Reading hosts its 2013 research preview webinar. And as the webinar title states, It's All About SDN.

We're convinced that SDN will be a driving force in the telecom industry for the rest of this decade, and in this webinar we'll tell you why. We'll also present the first-ever (as far as we can tell) publicly available taxonomy that will encapsulate the SDN ecosystem. It's a work in progress, but you'll want to see what we're up to.

Six of Heavy Reading's team of world-renowned (and in some cases notorious) analysts, led by Chief Analyst Graham Finnie, will be on hand to offer their views on SDN's likely impact on the telecom sector. I've seen the presentation -- you'll be glad you took the 60 minutes to view this webinar.

Judging from the registration sheet, this webinar is going to draw a massive crowd. We only hope there are enough virtual chairs for everyone to squeeze into the room.

Visit the Heavy Reading 2013 Outlook: It's All About SDN registration page to sign up for the Jan. 14 event.

And we'll be following up with our first-ever Light Reading SDN Symposium, which will take place Feb. 5. Don't worry about booking travel -- we're doing this as an online event. Sponsorships are already sold out, but there's still room for attendees. Follow this link to register for The Future of Software-Defined Networking.

We look forward to "seeing" you at both events!

— Dennis Mendyk, Vice President of Research, Heavy Reading