What is Smart Infrastructure and how is it going to evolve?

The technology sector is full of big words, fast moving timelines and continually evolving.

platforms and protocols.

One of those big words, ‘infrastructure’ is a vitally important one. How can one word

describe something that is made up of so many changing but vitally important parts? The

other word is “interoperable” …systems capable of working in harmony, of transacting

with each other without latency or any discernible hand-off issues, …Both big words, both

vitally important aspects of any smart systems and the smart infrastructure which

supports that.

Today’s smart Infrastructure aspires to be as fluid as the human body (This is the perfect

analogy for the global communications infrastructure): Multiple systems working for the

global or singular good and safety of the unit. The senses, transmitting those signals

through self-healing channels, are fully controlled, managed and analyzed at every point.

The supporting facilities making sure that the unit can function as intended for the

duration of its lifecycle. The instant ability for the unit to detect and defend itself from

adversaries (viruses) and the ability to regenerate damaged or destroyed sections without

interruption in the overall function.

For the Home User, today’s technologies: the cloud, mobile and the Internet of things, are

combining to transform enterprise networks. Each home has more devices or users, than

the enterprise networks of yesteryear…In-fact the potential number of addressable points

in a future network are almost limitless!

We are now faced with the challenge of providing smarter infrastructure to support

connectivity to people, places and things anywhere, while ensuring visibility, security and

control. And it has to be done in an affordable, non-disruptive manner, with the upside for

our customer, the continuous flow of content and seamless interaction with their

technology.

With this new networking reality of people, places and things, networks and the

infrastructure on which they sit, will have to scale to entirely new levels.

Automation will be essential not only in the services of the home but to enable the

configuration and operation of these networks reliably without huge increases to its

complexity and cost. In addition, security will need to be more integral to the network

itself, and not an add-on or afterthought.

It’s fair to say that today’s ageing infrastructure and network designs are inefficient and

inflexible. They are unable to adapt quickly enough to changing market conditions and

customer needs.

Current technologies: Fibre to the Cabinet, Cable, ADSL, Satellite, 4g and their providers

including BT, Virgin etc…all have their limitations. There are heaps of equipment and skills

in between each technology or service which all slow down or hamper the process of

evolution.

Emerging technologies such as IP Version 6, Narrow Band IOT, Fiber to the device, and 5g

all look like they have huge potential, but we need to carefully consider how to best adopt

and include on our projects. Z-wave, is one technology alliance that believes they have the

power to transform the landscape, as have many other initiatives and technologies.

It’s my belief that future smart infrastructure and networks, like the human body must be

self-aware and self-healing - Legacy networks experience reliability issues, especially if

equipment is nearing the end of its lifecycle.

Traditional infrastructure deployment and network architectures weren’t created to

support the emerging digital ecosystems and can no longer provide the levels of security

and control required. With most data traffic no longer destined to a central hub or data

center but instead to potentially multiple diverse cloud-based locations and virtual

networks. Users are demanding seamless secure access, wherever they are in the world,

from a laptop in the office to a smartphone while on the move to a tablet on a plane

there’s a need for a new perimeter-less approach.

It is my belief that the infrastructures of now (and the smart infrastructure of the future)

need to be secure, reliable, capable of scale and interoperable.

Alliances which are open and encourage companies to work together in the pursuit of

seamless customer experience - provided by the big tech companies, along with the

smaller disruptive business - will allow us all, as technology professionals, to provide the

systems that we need for our customers now and in the future.

In order for the smart infrastructure of the future to be as we think it can be, the idea of

alliances isn’t just a fanciful thing. It’s absolutely necessary to reach the potential of smart

technology.

This includes the developers, builders, trades people and the communications/services

companies out there. The consumer demand, volume of information will only increase.