In summary on Day 3, several of the world's largest network operators went into depth on some of the problems they are experiencing, and none of the brain-trust of networking gurus at the conference could conceive of any better way to address current industry challenges than SDN. This supports UC Berkeley professor Scott Shenker's argument from Tuesday that the principles behind SDN are not simply trends, fads or tactics, but rather they are fundamental principles that are foundational to the science of networking. The speakers presented the case that SDN will enable disruptive levels of cost savings at the same time delivering disruptive gains in innovation capability and agility. A final note on the human impact that I have observed is that, the world does not value the results of the pc-clone, open standards and open innovation only because they save businesses money, but rather because they benefit consumers on a very personal level. As Dr. Vahdat highlighted, SDN can bring a lot of sanity and peace to the lives of network engineers. But often engineers are concerned that new, easier tools and automation will take their jobs, and in response I would say to remember that the industry has always transitioned from older to newer technologies; from analog to digital, from circuit to packet, from ATM to IP etc. The main thing we have to realize is that people's desire for increasing consumption of IT is only going to continue to increase. at the conference several people asked what the 'killer app' was for SDN, and I thought it was fairly evident, but I am starting to realize there is much more potential. I think this can be answered by thinking about what the personal impactcould如果网络是更容易,更便宜,也更男人ageable. For years a lot of us have been thinking about the impact of sensor networks and the vast advancements they can bring to science. What would it mean to our businesses if all of our facilities and equipment could tell us where they were and what they needed? As a working parent myself, I know my home has a lot of things that need maintaining, and it would be so much easier if my appliances could just send me an email with details if they needed repairing, then the service person could come with the right parts in advance saving us both time and money. If you've ever burnt a pizza you may appreciate it if your oven could send you a text letting you know the food is done with an option to turn off the oven remotely. I appreciate thinking my gas bill could be a little less because my meter can just send the usage data directly to the gas company, which will in turn allow them to be more efficient on many levels. I like the fact that my car can now send me an email when its having problems, and that I never have to worry about locking my keys in the car or getting stranded on the side of the road if something breaks. I attend the Consumer Electronics Show each year and all of these things are real and becoming available right now. There is so much more that the network could be doing, these examples are just the tip of the iceberg for what the network could do to bring the amazing things that we love about technology to our lives.
And while selling a better network to a business may not seem like it does much for the problems in the world, I think it is a really important role, as a part in helping businesses to more efficiently develop efficient means of mass production and distribution which have the potential to feed the starving in the world. Computing technology is at the core of solving the greatest problems of mankind, but without the network, cpomputaation would be so very limited. At the close of this great conference, I think it is fitting to remember that behind our excitement lays a very significant purpose. I would like to leave you with a quote from my essay Soliloquy of a Technocrat "Without innovation, 1 plus 1 will always equal 2, but when we innovate, we make the miraculous happen ... we can make 1 plus 1 equal to more than 2. That is to say we can take the same amount of input, and realize more output. So if an innovation can allow a factory worker to make two pairs of shoes with the same amount of time and energy that it would have taken to make one pair of shoes, then that innovation will help more people in more places to eventually have something as simple as a pair of shoes ... or clothing, shelter and food ... A lot of people wonder how they can make a difference in the world, but I think we all do every day. Whether you create technology, manage it, or even just use it ... each of these roles is so important. The wheel would have no effect if nobody used it nor improved upon it. The same is true of the printing press, or any other innovation which we know has made the world a better place. ... And that is why I love technology. It is so much more than cool toys, it is a basis for who we are and who we can aspire to become. It is something we can utilize to make a difference in the world every day, and something tangible and real that we can see making the world better for all of humanity."
And from the scholar and visionary George Kozmetsky, "Science and technology are not just for the already affluent; they can offer so many fresh opportunities for small or very traditional underperforming economies to be transformed into new, shared, and sustained prosperity - and, most important, for enhancement in the quality of everyday life."
I apologize for my delay, but I hope to get all the videos of the presentations and demos posted over the weekend to my sitehere. Once everything is edited and uploaded I will also prepare a list of presentations with a brief excerpt from each and post it to Network World.