In any of today’s popular food shows, whether that be BBQ Pitmasters or the Iron Chef Showdown, each winning chef references a mysterious set of secret ingredients that puts their “recipe for success” over the top. Well, that formula doesn’t just apply to the culinary arts, it also applies to the telecom industry. Contrary to those chefs on TV, I’m going to let you in on our set of secret ingredients for winning service providers. In the Staying Ahead of the Trends blog series with Teresa Mastrangelo of Broadbandtrends, we previously addressed the attributes and competitive advantages associated with access network transformation and software defined access. This blog will focus on the “ingredients” that comprise the backbone of the Calix AXOS software platform---Agility, Always On, and Autonomous.
Agility and time-to-market are crucial factors in a service provider’s overall success in the marketplace. In order to deliver service and market agility, a network must be built on a software platform that enables a DevOps culture. That same software platform must also provide the ability to automate critical network functions that result in bringing services to market faster while improving upon operational efficiencies.
Always On is another key ingredient in the recipe for success. Subscribers expect their network to be available at all times. The AXOS modular and stateful architecture enables modules to be upgraded and restarted as necessary while the rest of the system continues to deliver subscriber services. In essence, the system maintains a snapshot of each process, so if a fault occurs, auto-restart restores the process to its prior state without any human interaction. This capability is key to reducing maintenance windows.
Autonomous networks, in other words, a network that is self-healing. Possessing an autonomous network streamlines problem resolution, thus resolving issues before subscribers even experience them. Through the self-healing capabilities of AXOS, modules can be restarted when a system detects an issue resulting in service providers being able to maintain an Always On network while dramatically reducing expensive service truck rolls. See my June 27 blog for additional insights on the impact of Always On and the AXOS Remote Diagnostic Toolkit.
By implementing an architectural framework that leverages AXOS, the only true SDA, service providers will have a true recipe for success as they continue their transformational journey to market success and winning against the competition.