Cisco unveils new branding campaign at the Cisco Partner Summit 2018. WILL TOWNSEND Before I was an industry analyst, I spent a considerable amount of time working in the IT distribution channel. First at Compaq, then HP (after the merger of the two companies), and lastly at a number of smaller start-ups. Some of my …
WILL TOWNSEND I had the recent opportunity to tour CenturyLink Field, home to the Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC. Built in 2002 upon the same site that the original Kingdome stood, the venue is a marvel of architecture and engineering. Paul Allen, may he rest in peace, was the famous Microsoft executive credited for winning …
CenturyLink Field Delivers A “Fan”-tastic Networking Experience Read More »
The ONS 2018 Keynote. Credit: Will Townsend In the past several weeks, I attended both the Open Networking Summit (ONS) Europe and the Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) Userspace event in Dublin. Both were very different events. ONS showcased many of the dozen or so networking projects hosted by the Linux Foundation. DPDK happens to …
Impressions From The Road: Linux Foundation And Its Role In Network Transformation Read More »
Shanghai, China. WILL TOWNSEND Last week, I attended Huawei Connect 2018 in Shanghai, China. In the event’s third year, Huawei outlined its broad strategy to bring artificial intelligence (AI) to the masses, leveraging its growing global footprint in consumer devices, enterprise networking, and wireless carrier infrastructure. With over 26,000 in attendance (a dramatic increase from …
Huawei’s Ambitious Goal To Make Connectivity Smarter Read More »
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort. SWANDOLPHIN.COM These days we often take finding directions for granted. Easy smartphone apps like Google Maps and Waze all but make paper maps and standalone GPS devices obsolete. Why then hasn’t mapping found its way indoors? Historically, companies used sensors (commonly referred to as beacons) to accomplish …
Can Artificial Intelligence And Networking Transform The Hospitality Industry? Read More »
WILL TOWNSEND All of the tier one carriers in the United States claim that their networks are the most reliable, but what are each doing to deliver on that promise? A number of third parties such as JD Power and RootMetrics pour through qualitative and quantitative data to get to the bottom of this. …
Verizon Delivers Carrier Network Reliability And Innovation Read More »
Samsung showcases its 5G-related solutions at Mobile World Congress Americas 2018. WILL TOWNSEND As a technology analyst, I examine and analyze the hardware and software that powers both wired and wireless networking and the services behind the infrastructure. One thing I’ve noticed is that networking is not as dry as it used to be. …
Perspectives On MWC Americas 2018: Cisco, Samsung, Qualcomm, Sprint, And More Read More »
It seems the technology industry is always coining new buzz-words. “Intent-based” has been all the rage in networking lately, with Cisco Systems pushing its highly visible “Network. Intuitive” strategy. Today I’d like to talk about the buzz-word “disaggregation”—the notion of separating functions such as computing, storage, and networking in order to drive organizational efficiency and …
Microservices: Scalability For An Emerging Networking Paradigm Read More »
LINUX FOUNDATION Chances are you’re familiar with Linux, but for tech novices, it’s a collection of open-source software built upon the Linux kernel (the core of a computer operating system). Linux was first released in 1991 at about the same time I joined a small computer company in Austin, Texas that had a crazy notion …
The Linux Foundation Is Changing The Fabric Of Networking Read More »
AWS has had a rough couple of weeks. Maybe it was stress-testing its flexible computing infrastructure power on Prime Day last week when the site crashed for hours (I eventually scored a great deal on some wireless cameras). Then there were the recent rumors of the online giant getting into the network switch business, followed by …
HPE Aruba logo. WILL TOWNSEND Before I was a tech analyst, I spent many years in product marketing at Dell , Compaq, and HP , on both the consumer and enterprise sides of the business. As such, I tend to geek out on technology. Naturally, I jumped at the invitation to tour Hewlett Packard Enterprise ‘s Aruba test …
Walking through the doors of HPE Discover 2018. WILL TOWNSEND No, I’m not talking about the Edge, lead guitarist for the rock band U2. Rather, I’m referring to edge network computing. Data is proliferating at an astounding rate and traditional networking can’t keep up. Software-defined topologies are taking center stage and the benefits are enormous—greater scale, …
It’s All About Networking At The Edge At HPE Discover 2018 Read More »
Source: Cisco Systems For the less technical, it might be helpful to define these acronyms. API (Application Program Interface) refers to a set of tools, definitions, and rules or protocols for building a software application. Think of it as a set of basic building blocks, Legos if you will, that make the software development process …
Source: Will Townsend Light Reading held its Big Communications event this week in Austin, Texas, sharing the Austin Convention Center with 5G North America. At times, I felt like I was in the “upside-down” from Netflix’s Stranger Things series—everything was turned around, and on several occasions, I found myself in the wrong keynote or …
5G Reality: Insights From The 2018 Big Communications – 5G North America Event Read More »
Samsung Logo Today, Samsung is one of the most recognized brands in the world. Founded in 1938 initially as a trading entity, the company has been quietly building momentum in the wireless wide area networking (WWAN) infrastructure space outside of its traditional markets of South Korea and Asia. Recent standalone and partnership announcements at Mobile …
Samsung: The New 5G Kid On The North American Infrastructure Block Read More »
Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure and T-Mobile CEO John Legere. The on again, off again rumors about a T-Mobile and Sprint merger were finally laid to rest this week. CEOs John Legere and Marcelo Claure, clad in their respective corporate colors of magenta and yellow, joined each other and announced their intent to combine companies. If …
Job Creation And Beating China: Political Rally Or A T-Mobile/Sprint Merger? Read More »
Huawei logo Last week, I visited Shenzhen, China, for the first time to attend HAS 2018, Huawei ’s annual analyst summit. I’ve been to many other cities in the country, including Beijing, Dongguan, and Shanghai, and while each has their own unique appeal, I found Shenzhen to be different. In Mandarin, the city derives its …
Cisco DevNet logo When you’re big, it seems like everyone is gunning for you. Much the same could be said for Cisco Systems . Chided in the past for locking in its customers with a closed approach to delivering networking solutions, the company is now embracing an open standards approach. I had the opportunity recently …
The race for 5G is heating up! At Mobile World Congress 2018, each of the U.S. tier one carriers announced their 5G plans. Let’s look at each of the specific announcements and I will share my perspective and analysis. AT&T: Has its promise of a 5G “evolution” delivered or confused the market? AT&T has been …
Aruba Networks I recently had the opportunity to spend time with Aruba at its annual user event, Atmosphere 2018, which took place last week in Las Vegas. Best known for its wireless networking capabilities, the company has always been focused on delivering an enhanced user experience with integrated functionality, such as wayfinding and asset …
Aruba Aims To Digitize The Workplace And Make It Smarter Read More »
