I see a couple of important things happening in the market that are driving change. Software and app developers are disrupting the market and that won’t stop. They are generating new and innovative ideas every day and asking more and more of their network providers.
They want consistent and high performance networks that will enable them to not just roll out new apps and services but ensure that they are delivering an exceptional user experience. Software and app developers want to make communications part of all kinds of services because communications services are personal.
The network is critical to them but at the same time they don’t want to be involved in investing in legacy network build models, stay away from traditional procurement or management models and are looking for a “telco cloud” approach. They want their networks to be instantly available, enjoy high performance and availability and integrate easily to a broad range of infrastructure and services. Network providers on the other hand understand the complexity of service level agreements (SLAs), QoS, multi-party transactions and billing. All of this is so far beyond a developer’s core business.
That’s where an opportunity emerges in delivering networking via a Platform as a Service (PaaS) model. That model makes sense to developers and it enables them to focus on their core business with networks ready to serve their needs.
At the same time, their users are hyper-sensitive to QoE. They will not tolerate any downtime or failures within the network. Users demand that their apps and services work perfectly every time otherwise they simply move on. The network becomes mission-critical in the most extreme terms.
Developers of these kinds of applications are demanding new networking models that can go above and beyond what is available today. There is immense pressure on network providers to deliver on an entirely new level. With platforms and performance central to their success, the key will be delivering a complete experience that acts as a foundation and enabler for innovation.
