Service creation is a long and evolved process – it requires marketing to identify a significant opportunity, R&D to develop and test the application, and operations to piece together the resources needed to ensure the required Quality of Service (QoS).  

Bandwidth demands are growing far more rapidly than network operators can upgrade their capacity and speeds. While 100G was supposed to meet these needs, experts are already discussing the 400G and Terabit revolution. Software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) trends are permeating networks as operators search for new ways to meet the demands of an evolving Internet-connected landscape.

If there’s one thing the world learned from the Sony Pictures hack in 2014, it’s that being careless with email opens the door for dangerous cyber-attacks. Despite the public shaming of Sony and abundance of high profile hacks, it still seems like some people are off limits to sophisticated cyber criminals. Until now. A teenaged group of hackers recently breached CIA Director John Brennan’s personal email account, making it clear that no one is safe from cyber-crime. And the worst part? They made it look easy.

When it comes to getting more out of the network, service providers can either add capacity or put existing assets to better use.  Today we'll be talking about network functions virtualization – NFV — and how it helps service providers transform networks to be more flexible and agile.  When implemented, NFV gives services providers the freedom to change how existing assets are used in response to evolving customer needs – all without leaving their management console.

The United States Census Bureau recently found that 62.7% of the population lives in cities that take up just 3.5% of the country’s total land. People are moving to cities with the expectation that there will be networks to support their smartphones, smart cars and smart homes—it’s time to start building smarter cities.