If the biggest problem in information technology is complexity, could the biggest question be whether artificial intelligence in some form is the solution? We may have to answer that question as soon as this year, partly because the evolution of IT is bringing us to a critical point, and partly because the pandemic has raised…
Can we know anything about open source in a pandemic world? IBM is the first big tech name to report earnings since the virus struck, and with the acquisition of Red Hat, they’re also the giant in the open-source enterprise software space. Do they offer us any clues about the way that the open-source software…
Our unhappy pandemic is fading…slowly…for now. It’s not clear when and how things will be opened up again, but it seems likely that will be starting within a month in the US. Other countries have already started opening up. The impact of the pandemic is historic, but we won’t know all of the details, likely,…
Frontier Communications has filed for Chapter 11, which isn’t a huge surprise to most of us who’ve followed the fortunes of the company from the first. Following hasn’t been easy, because Frontier is a hodgepodge of smaller phone companies, has gone through a number of name changes, and has explored a number of different business…
In yesterday’s blog, I looked at the operations considerations that arise when you build a “network” by hosting feature/function instances on infrastructure. I pointed out that the process creates two explicit layers—“functional” and “infrastructure”—and one implicit one, the layer representing the binding between the two that actually creates the service. We explored the operations impact…
One operator offered an interesting view of hosted-function networking: “In some ways I hope it’s different from devices, and in others I hope it isn’t.” The “I-hope-it-is” position is based on the economic driver for using hosted virtual functions; it would be cheaper than proprietary appliances. The “I-hope-it-isn’t” position relates to the fear that the…
Well, we have another new-IP story emerging, one that includes both some of our old familiar themes and some new-ish ones. The questions are first, whether any of the suggestions make sense, and second, whether they could be implemented if they did. I think there may even be a better way to achieve the same…
Ever see a couple at dinner, each on their phone and ignoring the other? It’s easy to dismiss this behavior, but in fact it’s a sign of the times. Social behavior is an arbitrary set of standards that govern interactions, and if you open a new medium for that interaction, you can enable a new…
We need a new network architecture. That’s a view that Cisco has expressed, relating to the coronavirus impact, but it’s actually been true for over a decade. Not only that, most network operators and many CIOs have agreed with that position, according to my own research. The problem isn’t recognition of the need as much…
Hybrid cloud is the cloud, so it’s good that IBM recognizes that. It’s also true that IBM and Red Hat combine to create a highly credible hybrid cloud solution. What’s still an open question is whether IBM or Red Hat really recognize what’s going on in hybrid cloud, what’s needed to win there, and who…