Why Any Cloud is Better Than No Cloud

Working for Mavenir, an acknowledged “digital disruptor” in the telecommunications industry, I’m frequently asked about the real future of topics such as 5G, moving to the cloud, or my favorite, “is the cloud really our future?” While the answer seems clear, let’s go over a few benefits and some history.

Start with the value of scale and flexibility. Take the example of Netflix, a poster child for cloud infrastructure, which has completely migrated from a monolithic environment. Moving from private servers, where quickly growing volumes of data were restrained by physical data centers, to the public cloud has helped Netflix realize many advantages. Using Amazon Web Services (AWS) brought benefits of guaranteed performance, scalable storage, simplified operations, and easier management. There was no way they could expand at the speeds needed or operate so efficiently with a monolithic environment.

Whether it is a content platform like Netflix or a telecom operator, a cloud-native microservice-based environment creates the foundation needed for building capable, scalable, and flexible networks. Building an enterprise 5G core without a cloud-native environment can put CSPs at risk of not being able to scale services as quickly as their existing competitors and new challengers that embrace cloud-native architecture.

Everyone loves the cloud. I’ve noticed that people from all generations have now grown comfortable accessing data in the cloud. Things like music, movies, games, and services are all available in the cloud. It’s easy, cost-effective, and grants freedom from physical overheads.

CSPs are quickly heading towards adopting the same outlook and moving to cloud technology. They need to! And they need the ability to leverage benefits like utility pricing, flexibility to opt-in or out, scaling up or down, and slicing, all available on-demand. Public, private, or hybrid, these cloud benefits will enable CSPs to easily support new categories of data consumption and innovative 5G services. As we’ve seen from web services innovators, subscribers are willing to pay a premium because it’s what they want, it’s convenient, and it’s hassle-free.

5G and Cloud Technology Bring Synergy and Deliver Definite Benefits to CSPs

Faster deployment. Changing the operational structure is a challenge, but a cloud-native environment helps create and sustain a culture where building, testing, releasing, and deploying happens swiftly and consistently. Developers can make quick modifications and updates to applications that are built as fine-grained microservices in containers. With CI/CD pipelines, an automated path for continuous delivery lets developers rapidly deploy to production environments.

Reduced hardware footprint. A public cloud shifts the costs of hardware and infrastructure investment. It also reduces the cost, depreciation burden, and saves physical space. You pay as you grow and when needed instead of investing in under-utilized servers and racks just to be covered for future unplanned capacity growth or a busy network capacity spike.

Resiliency and agility. Well-defined, assessed, and measured reliability requirements provide a solid foundation to achieve resiliency in cloud environments. The cloud allows faster iterations, deployments, and the goal of having a shorter time to market becomes a reality.

Scalability and availability. Cloud elasticity makes it easy to scale up and down as demand changes, whether it’s forecast or not. Cloud solutions offer continuous availability by deploying loosely coupled microservices to ensure minimal impact to the system if one of them fails.

Imagine having all these benefits as you begin the transition to a 5G cloud infrastructure. Whether you’re considering a public, private, or hybrid cloud, having 100% cloud-native solutions built from the ground up for the telecommunications industry is critical. Find out how Mavenir can help you optimize your business models and re-assess strategies for monetizing 5G capabilities to maximize revenue and growth … no matter which cloud you choose.

So, while “any cloud” is better than no cloud, being 100% cloud-native is even better.