Sessions at the ONUG Fall 2023 conference in New York City highlighted the ongoing evolution of networking, with a focus on key trends, including private 5G, network as a service (NaaS), and network automation. Presentations by analysts, service providers, and vendors explored the significance of these approaches and how organizations can leverage them to address new use cases.
Private 5G Insights
The ONUG conference featured extensive discussions about private 5G, emphasizing its driving factors, use cases, and advantages. While initial adopters deployed private 5G in sectors like petroleum and manufacturing, its applicability extends to other industries such as transportation, healthcare, and education, as noted by Allwyn Sequeira, CEO of Highway9 Networks.
Enterprises are increasingly drawn to private 5G due to the enhanced control, security, and network coverage it offers. To extend the scope of private 5G to these additional sectors, organizations must integrate their private 5G networks with existing IT resources, including policies, security measures, LANs, and WANs. This integration allows for a more comprehensive utilization of private 5G.
NaaS for Simplified Operations
The complexity of networks poses challenges for network professionals, driven by factors like the merging of networking and security and the introduction of software-defined WAN (SD-WAN). Network as a service (NaaS) emerges as a solution to simplify these complexities, according to Luc Boivin, managing director of 5G and enterprise solutions at Verizon.
The adoption of NaaS does not imply the obsolescence of established technologies such as MPLS or SD-WAN; rather, it entails a new consumption approach. Khalid Raza, founder and CEO of Graphiant, explained that NaaS combines the strengths of SD-WAN and MPLS—policy control and ubiquitous connectivity, respectively—while reducing complexity for businesses.
NaaS providers responsible for managing enterprise networks also handle complexity, enabling organizations to maintain the necessary control over their operations. Boivin noted that reducing complexity is essential for fostering innovation. NaaS provides connectivity to workloads and facilitates integration with technology partners, enhancing network capabilities.
Network Automation Approaches
Amidst increasing network complexity and security vulnerabilities, network automation is seen as a valuable solution. Tom Whaley, chief technology advisor at World Wide Technology, highlighted the potential of automation in addressing these challenges. However, he acknowledged that network professionals often lack experience with network automation.
Some professionals encounter difficulties in employing automation for basic network management tasks, such as identifying network changes and resolving issues, as noted by Ernest Lefner, chief product officer at Gluware. Out-of-the-box network automation tools can enhance accessibility and facilitate automation utilization.
These pre-configured tools improve return on investment (ROI) and increase network uptime. While there remains value in developing in-house network automation tools, organizations could benefit from a combination of building and buying network automation solutions. Pre-configured tools can assist with complex processes, while internally developed tools can aid in workflow integrations and application performance monitoring.
