Cloud with Dry Trees

(These are my personal views on the current state of network software modernization and not at all the opinion of any of my past or current employers)

In continuation with my earlier blog "Network Operations Simplification - Global Warming" on this excellent platform here is another take on the frenzy around oscillating imbalanced demand between the "cloud" service providers and "trees" a.k.a. Network Infrastructure providers/vendors, which are slowly drying up - its time to rethink to protect getting into a trap of an undesirable vicious cycle.

Our primary education says every ingredient in the infamous water cycle plays its own critical role, and it’s a full circle. Anything broken or not performing to its fullest extent in this chain will cause unnatural and non-desirable effect, global warming being one of them. Its understood that evolution and innovation will happen but the basic ingredients needed doesn't change much.

Image courtesy: https://pmm.nasa.gov/education/water-cycle 

Disruption in every sphere is a must for evolution, it's utmost important be part of it and follow it, but following it with eyes open and in a balanced way will give us the best results. The essential importance of each element should be enhanced when doing disruption not otherwise. We need evolving and vibrant network hardware and software which can produce a better cloud. The extreme focus on providing "all" services by oneself just because partners are deemed to be not performing its duties in the most optimum way may lose the benefit of expertise that each of them separately has.

    Many understood the need to enhance services offered in various cloud offering and rightly, so it's happening at lightning speed with many brilliant minds working continuously around the globe round the clock in start-up mode with massive investment funded by many. It makes it even more critical for Network infrastructure and the ingredients involved in building it to evolve at the same or better speed, as of now there is an imbalance between the two.

     Today's need as well understood by many because of ever growing demands on the network is to have advanced architecture-supporting, modular, simpler and machine/model driven network equipment - only high speed won’t cut the chase. Everything needed comes from the "software" that runs on the hardware (networking or otherwise) and the automation in the infrastructure. Engineering and development of those profound changes are not cheap, so the cost of that software development cannot just be transferred to the thin air. We should understand the need to nurture the "tree" to be greener, fruitier, and more oxygen producing. It requires effort as well as the investment. We cannot leave the tree dry and expect clouds to produce a lot of water. We have to pay the price at some point in time.

Preserving functional importance, enhancement in each other's capabilities by challenging each other are the asks of the day, let’s make all attempt to nourish the tree's resulting in better clouds finally resulting in water for everyone a.k.a. use case solutions helping humanity evolve to the next level by improving the way they work, live, play and learn.