What Can We Learn About Network Disruption from Network Disruptions?

We’re in the midst of a global network disruption... both technologically and culturally. The cause, of course, is the COVID-19 pandemic. And the most prevalent symptom for most businesses? The challenges brought on by the rapid shift to “work from home” and “work from anywhere.”

Consider the following…

·       Nearly seven in 10 employees still work remotely all or part of the time.

·       Half of remote workers would prefer to never return to the physical office.

·       Many companies, including giants like Twitter, Facebook, Shopify, and others are instituting indefinite WFH policies.

·       Experts predict surges in remote user access and cloud hosting will result in increased bandwidth usage.

At Ciena, we saw the beginnings of network disruption long before the pandemic. For many years, the demand for bandwidth has increased exponentially, as bandwidth aggressive, interactive applications continue to stress our customers’ networks. The global pandemic accelerated what we believed would happen, but no one could have predicted that it would happen overnight.

Thankfully, our teams were ready— in fact, we’re built for performing during disruption. Delivering uncompromising service to customers under the most pressing conditions is part of our DNA. We know all too well that disruption should not only be planned for but expected. Helping our customers navigate the challenges of COVID-19 taught us that adapting to network disruptions is about more than technology. Features like automation and platform flexibility may be key to reacting quickly to unforeseen circumstances, but ultimately, surviving (and thriving) amidst a business and network disruption is about the strength of your people and being a partner customers can trust.

Five Ways to Prepare for The Next Network Disruption

Over the past few months, I’ve found that there are five pillars that the best businesses adhere to when facing a network disruption—and four of them have nothing to do with technology and everything to do with people.

Get partners you can trust

Before the next crisis, think about who you want on your team in the face of that challenge. From employees to contractors to vendors, the best partners are those who integrate into your operation and are committed to investing in your success. This has become clear from discussions with many customers, industry colleagues, and internally here at Ciena. The key for anyone is to determine what are the right questions to ask when determining how to assess their partner ecosystem.

Some of the most poignant questions seem to be:

·       Are these companies taking the initiative to reinvest in your company?

·       Do you have engaged executive relationships that accelerate each others business velocity?

·       Are your partners helping your company grow and solve problems by providing forward-looking guidance and education regarding industry trends?

·       Are you building an ecosystem that makes you stronger and will enable you to weather the next network and cultural disruption?

From offering the support of dedicated, highly trained relevant specialists to creating a diverse supply chain, reinvestment can take on many forms, but it is always in service of the customer’s needs and goals. For example, at Ciena, we have partners that have voluntarily provided us access to top industry thought leadership on how to structure our approach to better serving our customers. We have also had our focus upon building a strong supply chain pay off well as our investments in our partners were repaid back to us in times of crisis.

 My colleague, Sam Paone and his team are a great example. They had prepared for a network disruption because they continually invest in their relationships and understanding of their customers. They developed joint process and systems, and made it their mission to build in-depth knowledge of their business process and network infrastructure. Amidst the pandemic, they didn’t retreat. Instead, Sam and the team pressed in even further with their customer, offering support, resources, and a listening ear when the customer needed it—even offering to send out field staff and technicians to remote areas or places where the customer team was overloaded. Sam’s team embodied what we preach at Ciena. They didn't just pay lip service to their One Team, One Mission commitment, they were truly partners in action.

Be a trusted partner for others

Just as you strive to choose partners who support your business, we all want to offer the same exemplary service to our customers. Are you a partner who helps your customers before they even know what kind of support they need? Do you understand their business needs on an instinctual level? Has your team truly invested in ensuring your customers’ success? Most importantly, we need to focus upon delivering upon our promises so that in times of crisis our partner ecosystem can run on momentum built in preparation for turbulent times. To deliver the highest value in the face of a network disruption, it’s critical to lay the groundwork before the crisis occurs. By building trusted relationships and investing in people, you gain invaluable insight into the inner workings of your customers’ operations, allowing you to provide immeasurable value at crucial moments. Lets not forget how important our internal partners like IT are when the business is facing disruption. Ciena’s CIO Craig Williams and his team were able to pivot quickly to enable 6500 employees to work remotely, largely overnight, because his team prepares for disruptions far in advance of them occurring. 

Broaden your ecosystem

In the face of network disruptions, having a diversified supply chain and strategic IT infrastructure will often be as important as having the right people. COVID-19 hit at the heart of many global supply chains, not only impacting public health but halting shipping and manufacturing operations vital to many businesses. It also exposed vulnerabilities that many organizations may not have previously realized, resulting from a long-term focus on supply chain optimization to minimize costs, reduce inventories, and drive up asset utilization. As a result, many companies may have entered the pandemic without the buffers and flexibility needed to adapt to global shocks.

 A few years ago, I learned the lesson from John Brots, my colleague here at Ciena, that a supply chain that is diverse and locally sourced, when possible, will best position organizations to survive disruption. It needs to be scenario tested from all angles so that it is not disrupted when challenges arise. For example, since Ciena builds products in North America, including Canada, the United States, and Mexico, we were able to protect our customers from much of the latest disruption because our supply chain isn’t primarily based in Asia.

 Put the right people in the right roles

As we discussed in the last in this series, I’m big on the idea of actually aligning people to the needs of the organization and keeping them in their best and highest use. I know that we all talk about this and agree, but we have to put it into practice prior to a disruption in order to have the strongest possible team when tough times come. Our processes, systems and technology are only as good as the people who work with them day to day. Having the right people in the right roles means we ensure that each team member is in a role that plays to their strengths. We should continually assess our teams’ skills versus what the organization needs and adapt appropriately. When people are placed in a position that enables them to use their talents, they deliver the most value to their whole ecosystem (colleagues, customers, partners). 

Create an environment of trust and empowerment

In the context of managing network disruptions, getting the “people thing” right is mission-critical. People-centered transformational leadership requires trusting your team. It also means creating a team that you can trust. That trust, in turn, empowers everyone in your organization to move through ambiguity and uncertainty and make the best decisions that will benefit the whole operation.

At Ciena, in the face of COVID, we were able to respond and pivot quickly because our CEO, Gary Smith, set a clear goal: stay in front of customers and put their needs first. Each person at Ciena felt empowered to go after that goal and make decisions that benefited the customer. Make sure you take a look at Gary Smith’s video from 2016 where he talks about being prepared for disruption – talk about foresight!

Manage Disruption With People-First Leadership

Throughout the past six months, we’ve learned that disruption is being redefined as “business as usual.” Because network connectivity is integrated into all aspects of our personal and professional lives, it will align with the same social and economic disruptions that affect us all.

With that knowledge, it is clear that we are all in this together. At Ciena, we’re helping our partners and customers plan for the next normal and stay ready for continual change. We know that the more automated the network becomes, the faster businesses will be able to react. But becoming truly agile and adaptive relies on more than just technology. We have to leverage our greatest strength, our people. By putting your customers first and empowering our teams to keep customers’ best interests as a top priority, we can weather network disruptions and remain poised for whatever disruption comes next.