From theory to practice: Delivering real-world efficiencies with Intelligent Automation

In my previous post, ‘Boost your bottom line with automated service delivery,’ I took a look at how automation can help operators reduce OpEx costs by up to 67%.

This figure includes major staffing efficiencies, along with an estimated 15% acceleration for your billing cycle. There’s also the fact that you can orchestrate and turn up new services on your existing multi-vendor infrastructure to extend your hardware RoI.

But don’t just take my word for it. Here are two examples, the first, Windstream has slashed delivery times for 10G services, and the second, Cologix, has automated multi-cloud connectivity for customers – both using Ciena’s Blue Planet software.

How Windstream slashed 10G service delivery times with automation

One company where automation has really changed the game and delivered new competitive advantage is Windstream, a leading provider of residential, SME, and enterprise services in 48 US states.

Windstream wanted to improve its customer experiences and increase satisfaction, but the existing network infrastructure was complex and costly. Multiple OSSs and a large, distributed network footprint – made configuring, provisioning and turning up new services a challenge.

To simplify operations, Windstream built a new, programmable network with Ciena Blue Planet software for orchestration and automation. This has allowed it to discover, orchestrate and automate multi-vendor infrastructure and minimise manual interventions for service configuration and turn up.

Targeting layer 1 wholesale services first, and business services second, the project has cut delivery times for 10G services – resulting in massive improvements in bandwidth availability and service experiences for customers. Windstream has also reduced its service delivery costs, and accelerated time to market with new services based on automated, model-driven processes.

If all this wasn’t enough, Windstream now has an extensible automation platform that can be used to automate a range of other processes and speed up service delivery cycles.

How Cologix has automated multi-cloud connectivity for customers

The next cool automation story comes from Cologix, which is making it fast and easy to connect into multiple cloud platforms with a fully automated service.

The new multi-cloud ‘on ramp’ service, which is called Cologix Access Marketplace, uses Ciena’s Blue Planet software to orchestrate existing cloud connectivity services, such as AWS’ Direct Connect and Microsoft Azure’s ExpressRoute. Using it, customers can create customised, secure connections into one or more clouds in just a few minutes – all from an automated self-service portal.

Take the next step on your own automation journey

Every day, we’re seeing new automation applications and use cases that are helping service providers to lower operating costs, speed up the billing cycle, and improve customer experiences. If you’re feeling inspired and want to take full advantage of the benefits automation brings you can read this posts from Frank Miller, our EMEA CTO, or get in touch, and take the next step on your own automation journey.