Communication Service Providers (CSPs) understand the complexity and enormity of a telecom network. The size and breadth of these networks alone makes them a serious undertaking to deploy, commission and assure. With the added implications of technical complexity and aging technical debt, growing service delivery complexity and security concerns, network operations leaders already have their hands full.
The many promises of 5G
We’re familiar with the idea that 5G promises to move these networks to an open, cloud-native and disaggregated architecture with the benefits of agility, automation and a very attractive cost-to-operate built foundationally in the use of commodity infrastructure. We are far enough into this industry shift to be able to point to examples of early adopters that are showing us that that most, if not all, of these things can be true. We are also learning, however, that deployments of these IT-centric models and open-systems infrastructure have significant added implications for operations teams as they struggle to build proficiency with the new tools and processes necessary to add these new architectures to existing network assurance and support models.
The operations business case
The business cases for the adoption of these new network platforms and technologies are typically built from three primary elements:
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- A shift to commodity infrastructure and X86 Hardware.
- Enabling CSPs to expand service offerings and capture new and emerging go-to-market opportunities.
- Scalability and agility of multi-cloud platforms and the promise of operational automation.
While the first two elements are foundational to these business decisions, it is the area of platform-centric operational automation that is the most commonly overlooked contributor to the 5G business case. While the most complex to build, and the most difficult to unpack – the operations business case can also have the greatest return. The challenges with activity-based-cost analysis and challenges with incorporating items like soft-costs and opportunity-costs into ROI models can create a barrier to this important conversation.
Zero-touch-everything
The marketing messaging from vendors and manufacturers of the many tools, platforms and products that support this shift to disaggregated networks all include a promise of massive operational simplicity. Terms like zero-touch-provisioning, self-healing and autonomous-operations are so common as to have been rendered almost meaningless. The promises made by vendors with point-solutions are almost always limited to the domain of their particular product or toolset. While any one area of automation and zero touch may be essential to the scaled deployment of open networks, it is the aggregate view that really matters. Zero-touch-everything is an exercise in aggregate automation, interoperability and platform-centric systems integration.
Lessons from 20 years of IT systems integration
In the 21 years since virtualization hit our datacenters, there has been a lot learned in the pursuit of reducing cost and increasing flexibility and resiliency. The lessons learned by IT systems operators and integrators over the past two decades is a source of significant insights to network operators who look to bring these technologies and operating principals into their networks. The pursuit of zero-touch automation, cloud-native and platform-centric operating models and an integrated assurance toolset remains difficult for most. Dell Technologies has been working for over a decade to deliver technology foundations and integrated solutions and managed services that consider full-stack life cycle management. It is well established that the value added from this type of systems integration massively impacts delivery timelines, improves deployment success and, importantly, reduces operational complexity and risk. This integrated solutions approach positions Dell Technologies as a trusted partner who can confidently deliver on the business case for multi-cloud platforms and who is held deeply accountable for ensuring the realized benefits of operational automation and simplicity.
The case for open-systems integration and platform thinking
As engineering-centric organizations, it is tempting to look discretely at the promises of automation from point-solutions providers. It is an easy trap to assume that applications and network functions will operate flawlessly on new multi-cloud platforms, that new AI-driven network assurance tools will interoperate with the fleet management tools provided by hardware and sub-component vendors and that it will be easy to remotely life cycle manage a deployed configuration. Instead, a modular and platform-centric approach would center around building persistent interoperability, cross-domain orchestration of network and customer functions and a consistent service management toolset.
Executing successfully against these objectives depends on leveraging the certifications, testing and solutions efforts of open-systems integrators like Dell Technologies. Dell has been building and delivering integrated outcomes and technology platforms for over a decade and has a deep understand of how to overcome the barriers to the successful adoption of software-defined, multi-cloud and cloud-native modern architectures.
As we continue to increase our R&D into the expanded ecosystem of tools, platforms, certifications, services and partnerships that are specific to telecom network operators, we will do so with the same intent – to significantly reduce complexity and risk, while also improving time to value and operational resiliency. The recent launch of our Bare Metal Orchestration toolset illustrates our commitment to enabling full-stack operational automation at the scale and complexity of telecom network operators.
Setting a vision for network transformation
A complete open-systems transformation of carrier networks will take years. The benefits of this transformation are very clear. The realization of these objectives requires a plan to transform both technology platforms and network operations. Defining a holistic end-state built around a common core, with an eye to platform and service-based integrations, allow CSPs to make investments now that are foundational to their long-term success. Leveraging service integrators like Dell Technologies to help set these long term strategies, and relying on our commitments to remove architectural, delivery and operational risk are all elements of a successful network transformation.
