Much has changed in the networking industry in the last 30 years. Chasms have been crossed. We’ve navigated countless paradigm shifts, and through it all, one thing has never changed: IT decision-makers buy from people and brands they trust.
Solution providers know successful client outcomes are the result of an ecosystem approach. More than ever, they are being asked to facilitate multi-partner solutions that can be challenging and time-consuming to manage. When solution providers are entrusted to bring together the right players with the right technology and the right financials, all wrapped in a “One Hand to Shake” engagement model, that’s tangible benefits that add tremendous value for the customer.
When we recruit and onboard new IP Infusion Partners, we spend time upfront to understand their motivation behind bringing IP Infusion onto their line card. There is a phrase that always comes up in these early stages: “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander” or in more translatable terms, “What’s good for the customer is good for the partner.” With that as the foundation, we know that we’ll build a successful partnership if we stay focused on the customer value proposition.
With traditional networking solutions, customers are limited by the choices their networking vendor has made for them. With a disaggregated approach, we can look at specific use cases for each customer and create the optimal solution.
Customer Benefits of Open Networking
What are some of those core customer benefits that open networking can deliver?
Best of Breed
With traditional networking solutions, customers are limited by the choices their networking vendor has made for them. With a disaggregated approach, we can look at specific use cases for each customer and create the optimal solution. That could mean choosing the right combination of hardware, silicon, optics, and network operating systems (NOS) to meet their needs.
Innovation
What if service provider customers could migrate resources previously dedicated to maintaining a monolithic network infrastructure and re-purpose that talent into other roles such as DevOps? That means shifting from “What workloads will the network support?” to “What changes do we implement to the network to run our workloads?”
Lower Total Cost of Ownership
One of the original promises of disaggregation was to dramatically reduce capital expenditures (CapEx). By sourcing cost-optimized hardware combined with selecting a carrier-grade NOS that doesn’t include the legacy brand markup, lower CapEx should easily be achieved, right? While there is undoubtedly a CapEx benefit with disaggregation, legacy vendors have responded by lowering their pricing to mitigate the threat.
We’ve seen this before. Even if customers choose not to pursue disaggregation, they will be well-served by making it known to their supplier that options are being evaluated. On the operational expenditure side, disaggregated solutions have become stronger alternatives because they focus on operational simplicity.
If you would like us to run some numbers for you, please let your IP Infusion Partner know or contact us directly.
One of the most exciting trends we’re seeing is solution providers beginning to build new practice teams focused on disaggregation or open networking. Moving from a legacy model that’s 30 years old is a transformational event that should be executed with expert guidance.
Partner Added Benefits of Open Networking
It’s not just the customer that is getting served well in this practice. Our partners see added benefits, too.
Open Networking Practices
One of the most exciting trends we’re seeing is solution providers beginning to build new practice teams focused on disaggregation or open networking. Moving from a legacy model that’s 30 years old is a transformational event that should be executed with expert guidance.
Assessment, design, build, operate, manage and maintain are proven consultative services that map perfectly with open networking. That involves selecting the best trial application / POC to validate disaggregation in your network and designing a multi-year transformation plan that frees your organization of the inevitable inertia that has held back your network for years.
One Hand to Shake
Disaggregation can be challenging to source. While legacy vendors don’t offer a lot of choices, they are a one-stop shop. The opportunity for IP Infusion Partners is to provide the benefits of disaggregation without the complexity of sourcing multiple components from multiple vendors.
IP Infusion offers several pre-certified turnkey solutions, which fall under a single support contract. No finger-pointing that it’s a hardware issue or a software issue. When the ticket comes in, IP Infusion and our partners handle the process from the cradle to the grave.
Go With Your Client or Without
Service providers of all shapes, sizes and regions of the world are exploring disaggregation to determine the fit and value that could be potentially realized. In fact, more than 70 percent of service providers have already embraced and are well on the path of deploying disaggregated networking solutions.
However, some partners will remain ever-loyal to the legacy vendors with whom they jointly created the monolithic network from which their customer is now trying to free itself,
Great partners introduce new thinking and lead their clients through the process of evaluating whether disaggregation is a fit. We advise prospective partners that their customer is already considering disaggregated options. They can help lead their customer through that journey, or they can choose to sit on the sidelines and hope for the best.
Why IP Infusion Is Your Trusted Partner in Network Disaggregation
That brings us full circle to our initial premise that “IT decision-makers buy from people and brands they trust.” If you’re a partner who has earned that trust, disaggregation is another opportunity to build on your relationship.
On the brand side, IP Infusion has been in Silicon Valley for more than 20 years, developing and selling protocol stacks to the top network equipment manufacturers in the world. There’s a good chance that IP Infusion is already in your network in some way. We aren’t just the latest white box NOS vendor that’s been around for a few years and looking for an exit.
If you would like to learn more about disaggregation and our plan for solving your problems or about becoming a Partner Infusion Program member, we’d appreciate the opportunity to learn more about your objectives. Please get in touch with us today or visit ipinfusion.com/partner.
About the Author
As IP Infusion’s Vice President of Channel Sales, Craig Schaefer leads IP Infusion’s Channel and Alliances sales teams in developing and supporting the Partner ecosystem that’s bringing disaggregated networking solutions to 5G Service Providers and Enterprise Clients globally.