There is a profound difference between two things we think of as key in networking. There are “services”, which are the things that users consume, and there’s “traffic”, which is what the network carries. What has happened over the last 40 years is that we’ve gotten focused on the latter, when it’s the former that…
So is Google going vertical? It sure seems like the deal they did with TELUS’ takes that direction. It also seems that Google might be responding to the changes that COVID has created, not the simple WFH issues but the more profound issues of reshaping stakeholder and employee relationships to make them work better under…
If you don’t like something, redefine it. If you’d like something different, redefine things to suit your fancy. OK, that sounds like basic marketing, but it also has a tendency to confuse complex issues, as well as buyers who face them. We’re seeing this in the area that’s absolutely the most important thing in IT…
Is low- or no-code the secret to AI success? IBM thinks it might be, and so is launching another of its Cloud Paks, this one called “Palantir Cloud Pak for Data”, that combines them. Obviously, Palantir, and apparently primarily Palantir Foundry, is a key element in this, but the Cloud Pak still involves IBM products…
What are businesses really doing with the cloud? According to a piece in Medium, not necessarily what you think. Some of the numbers they cite are interesting, even fascinating. Some are misleading or perhaps just wrong, at least according to my own enterprise data. Can the numbers support what I think is the primary goal…
Does Cisco come to mind when talking “open” in networking? Probably not, but they’re nevertheless touting an open model in optical transport. They’re also talking “disaggregation”. Is that an attempt to jump on a popular term (used by DriveNets, who beat Cisco in an AT&T core router deal)? We’ll have to dig a bit to…
Should we look at 5G in terms of edge applications? If the big benefit of 5G is lower latency, then doesn’t it follow that new 5G revenues would likely be associated with those applications, which would have to run at/near the edge? What are those applications, how much opportunity could be associated with them, and…
It’s nice to find a thoughtful piece on technology, and a potential new source for such pieces. The Next Platform, published in the UK by Stackhouse, is offering such a piece HERE and it’s worth digging into a bit. While the titular focus is “disaggregated routing” and perhaps DriveNets’ recent funding bonanza, there are plenty…
Are cloud providers’ edge deals with operators symbiotic or parasitic? Both Amazon (Wavelength) and Microsoft (Stack) have tailored edge offerings that essentially extend a tendril of their cloud into a telco data center. The cloud providers view this as a symbiotic relationship, meaning it’s an ecosystemic partnership that benefits both parties. Some telcos think it’s…
Network operators have faced challenges in profit per bit for over a decade. The major concern has been with the “wireline” segment of their business, the segment that provides business access and VPNs, and consumer home broadband. Some of them have fared better than others, and since those challenges are surely expanding with the work-from-home,…