IBM [NYSE: IBM]

Which of your previous experiences best prepared you to cater to your roles and responsibilities as the GM of software defined networking at IBM?

I started my networking career with the central government in the IT department, where my role entailed setting up initial network communications. Soon, I moved to Hong Kong and Japan to work for network vendors such as Bay Networks, Nortel, and Juniper. I served as Juniper's CTO in Asia Pacific for 12 years before moving to California, where I ran the Global Systems Engineering organization for Juniper for a few years.

I also spent much time on network startups before joining Brocade in 2014 to build and drive product strategy and meet customer requirements in software networking. I also served Lumina Networks as president and CEO for almost 4 years.

With over 25 years of experience, I started my career with IBM in 2021 to start a brand new business unit focused on software networking.

As the general manager of software defined networking at IBM, how do you think the networking industry has evolved over the years?

The networking industry is witnessing radical changes at a very rapid rate with regard to how applications are deployed and networks are built, and most of these changes are driven by the cloud. This inspired IBM as an organization to re-enter the networking space and focus on software networking and SD.

Cloud wasn’t as explored a topic as it was before the pandemic. But the post-pandemic era has a lot to offer in terms of development. Clouds have specialized in different areas and applications, and enterprises today are deploying into different clouds to move from enterprise data centers to cloud-based data centers, making way for a multi-cloud environment.

 Clouds have specialized in different areas and applications, and enterprises today are deploying into different clouds to move from enterprise data centers to cloud-based data centers, making way for a multi-cloud environment 

Most companies have their own software in today’s date, and they strive to make them as agile and efficient as possible. But a downside to this development is that the network is not yet developed enough to keep up with it.

At IBM, we have been on a journey for the last two years to build a software acquisition company to create a portfolio that solves the short comings associated with network problems. The first of the two companies we have acquired is called Turbonomic, and part of it was a product named Sev One, which is a service assurance and network analytics company that enables access to information on how applications are working across networks and, by extension, across the cloud. We recognized that it is necessary to have a holistic understanding of how these applications perform and of the entire network support infrastructure to be able to provide solutions around them. We combine network knowledge with machine learning and artificial intelligence to gain the level of insight required to provide the best services possible. The second acquisition we made last year was a company called Volta Networks. It gave us a distributed routing model and an understanding of how routing and networking work.

We use technology in many ways, and we believe it is mostly all about orchestrating and managing across intercloud networks and telecommunications. Our product, Cloud Pack for network automation, orchestrates networking technologies as simple as possible to deploy 5G capacity. The physical installation of the equipment is hidden from the day-to-day management operations, moving the complexities associated with it to the backend.

With regards to all the potential disruptions and transformations, how do you envision the future of cloud?

We are all headed toward a hybrid environment where the management of infrastructure will mostly be in the virtual network rather than the physical network. In about half a decade’s time, there will be drastic technological advancements in terms of networks. Most devices will have 5G in them for simplicity of management and connectivity. As most organizations focus on the multi-cloud networking element, huge gaps are left between the multi-cloud world and the private cloud world. IBM focuses on bridging those gaps effectively.

These technological advancements also bring in a lot of security concerns. With time, we are moving toward a world of zero trust, and breaking out of it isn’t an easy task. Not using them or keeping track of their usage aren’t practical options as the number of users increases. Management tools help with this dilemma to a great extent, as they offer implicit control over the multi-cloud infrastructure.

Do you have any words of advice for your peers on how to navigate through the complexities of the ever-evolving cloud space?

I believe success and failure are parts of life, and I have had both throughout my career. I align myself with companies that are leading the way in networking transformation. Networking is an exciting industry to be part of and be at the forefront of to make changes happen. There is scope for huge learning curves and reskilling opportunities in the industry to enhance one's career. For someone in the networking industry, the best piece of advice I can give is to pay attention to the fast-paced multicloud journey to understand the security, redesign, rebuilding, and relevance of the ever-changing network infrastructure.