In the early stages of computing, vendor-specific software dominated the IT infrastructure. The popularity of the open-source movement at around the turn of the century triggered the push towards the democratization of IT infrastructure. IT systems and networks have been moving away from the traditional vendor-specific infrastructure to open-source for well over a decade now. The popularity of the cloud, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the roll-out of 5G have given a big turbo-push to network democratization. Today, open networks are on the cusp of rendering proprietary vendor-dependent networks obsolete.
1. Innovations based on open hardware
One of the big manifestations of open source is open hardware. Open hardware is equipment with design code available in the public domain. Any user may create or modify the source code that underlies these physical devices.
Open hardware has led to a churn in end-user devices such as computers and mobile phones. These devices have largely moved away from vendor-specific, closed software, to open-source that offers flexibility and enables countless new possibilities. An example is health and fitness apps that use sensors inside wearables and smartwatches for their readings.
At the developer end, open hardware has led to rapid innovation. With the hardware design code available to everyone, businesses seek a competitive edge by abstracting the hardware in different ways. In the mobile space, abstracting Android OS enables the rollout of applications with new functionalities.
Businesses leveraging the open hardware to indulge in competitive differentiation need to:
- Separate hardware from control software. Hardware agnostic software port seamlessly across different hardware platforms.
- Develop interfaces such as drivers and application programmable interfaces (APIs) to abstract hardware.
- Curate apps that offer practical benefits to targeted users by leveraging the innate features of open hardware.
- Virtualize hardware to enable independent sharing and customization.
2. The shift to the cloud
About ten years ago, on-premises stacks, powered by proprietary software, were the norm. Since then, there has been a steady evolution to virtualized software and then to cloud-native software. In 2020, the shift to cloud got a turbo push. As lockdowns and stay-at-home mandates came in, enterprises embraced the cloud, to enable anywhere access.
The slow development pace and high costs of proprietary software became roadblocks. Open-source technologies facilitated rapid deployment and flexible ramp-up on an ongoing basis. Reusing already available code helped many businesses transition to digital mode fast. Businesses could adopt new software without incurring additional costs and get a positive ROI fast.
Here is how the pandemic is changing IT operations. These changes also trigger a cataclysmic push towards democratization of the network.
5G networks, backed by edge computing, have made networks even more open and fast. These advances unlock even more possibilities. For instance, 5G and edge reduce network latency in a big way and make it easy to stream ultra-high-definition videos through cloud apps. It also makes possible real-time analytics for critical time-sensitive functions such as autonomous traffic signals, real-time equipment maintenance, healthcare management, and so on.
But to enable such use cases, enterprises will have to::
- Create new digital communication tools that leverage the latest tech advances to improve workflows and internal efficiencies.
- Integrate open-source tools into existing development workflows.
- Deploy technology readiness frameworks to ramp-up engineering capabilities and deliver business value for investments.
3. Convergence of network and IT
The traditional barriers between IT and networks are collapsing fast.
In the past, vendors provided distinct proprietary stacks for IT systems and network applications. Democratization enables IT and network functions to leverage the same technologies. Both these streams now use the same tools, processes, and people. Open-source infrastructure offers a common platform for both IT services and networks.
Another trigger for the convergence is the rising popularity of software-defined networking (SDN). SDN decouples the currently vertically integrated data pane and control pane. Such decoupling makes network functions and protocols programmable. Combining SDN with network virtualization allows programmers to manipulate the network map. They may create virtual networks or slices that function independently of the underlying network protocols.
Abstraction opens up the complex optical infrastructure for network applications and program developers. Virtualization enables sharing the infrastructure and customizing it, depending on the application requirements.
Designing network and IT applications jointly create synergy. It also improves security, reliability, and resiliency. The common platform improves agility and reduces costs. But there are still obstacles. For instance, developers lack the infrastructure that supports CPU-intensive and I/O-intensive workloads. There is still no common set of platforms and processes to develop and manage IT and network applications together.
Also, existing SDN and virtualization technology suit legacy electronic packet-switched networks. These networks are incapable of scale-up to meet the dynamic requirements in today’s fast-paced world.
Enterprises seeking to benefit from convergence need to:
- Create underlying platforms to offer built-in flexibility and adaptability.
- Resist the pressure from vendors. Commercial considerations may prompt vendors to pitch models that run on legacy software. But businesses that do not shift from such inefficient stacks will soon fade into obsolescence.
- Patronize innovation in SDN and virtualization, to make these tools 5G compatible.
4. Building on the open-source base
Open source is collaborative. Developers contribute to open source repositories, easily accessible by everyone. Enterprises seeking to build solutions based on the latest digital networks need not start from scratch. They can use the code of existing applications and build on it.
Even proprietary software majors are shifting to open source. As a case in point, LinkedIn and Spotify have open-sourced their tools. Any data scientist may now use LInkedIn’s and Spotify’s machine learning libraries and audio file processing ecosystems, and use it as a base to build different offerings.
Likewise, the Linux Foundation is creating an open-source ecosystem for 5G. Magma, a popular open-source platform, offers access-agnostic mobile packet core, network automation and management tools, and several other resources. Enterprises may leverage several such offerings to develop applications and software that runs on 5G and the latest digital platforms.
The democratization of the IT network is here to stay. Enterprises that optimize open resources to offer differentiated products and services will succeed. Those unable to work with the democratic network ecosystem will soon become uncompetitive.