UNCOVERING THE LAYERS
tasks, but as networks evolve, such data-
driven decision-making will become the
table stakes of network providers’ survival.
When considering analytics, it should be
borne in mind that not all data is equal.
Some of it will be categorised as Big Data
that indicates trends that the network
learns and adjusts for over time. Big Data
can inform the network on how to adjust
in the long term, which traffic patterns
to look out for and which parts of the
network could be vulnerable.
Then there’s small data – things that
are happening at a rapid pace. It could
be a flicker on a circuit or an immediate
request from a customer. Such events
require a speedy response from the
network and those moves will be made
by the analytics. But once the decisions
have been made, a human operator or pre-
defined policies could step in and approve
or change things as necessary. In a truly
autonomous network, there would be no
operator influence at this point.
Software control and automation
The operations environment for network
providers is growing increasingly
complex. While advancements like NFV
and SDN enable on-demand services,
www.intelligentdatacentres.com
existing network management and
Operational Support Systems (OSSs)
lack the scale and flexibility to meet the
requirements of these more dynamic
network technologies. Simple automation
techniques like custom scripting are
often used to reduce repetitive manual
tasks, but providers must look for more
robust automation capabilities to reduce
operational complexity and improve
efficiency at scale.
Effective automation of network
tasks, such as loading access
controllers and provisioning routers, or
automated calculation and configuration
of MPLS TE tunnels to optimise traffic and
relieve congestion, can eliminate those
errors and keep the network running at
peak performance.
The ability for automation to work
across multiple vendors is critical. Some
technologies are good at working with one
set of devices from a single vendor, but
few networks are built on a single vendor’s
gear. Networks have to interoperate, using
APIs, to function efficiently and move data
efficiently and swiftly from point to point.
Realising the complete functionality of
this framework will take time; it will be an
evolution of the providers’ current network
Virginie Hollebecque, Vice President and
Managing Director for Western Europe
and Middle East at Ciena
environment. And getting there will be a
journey. Each provider will have a different
starting point, depending upon their
current network infrastructure, market
dynamics and business objectives.
Technology principles that
underpin an adaptive network
Evolving toward an adaptive network
should not be undertaken without a full
understanding of the technology principles
that underpin this type of network
evolution. Vendors need to prove they
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