Month: May 2024

Helping Telcos Monetize their Networks through Communications and Network APIs

by siowmeng, posted in Big Data, Cloud Enable, Communicate, Mobilize
S. Soh

Summary Bullets:

• Vendors such as Nokia and Ericsson are helping their telco clients to monetize their network assets through APIs.

• They are combining network APIs and communications APIs as well as tapping the CPaaS developer community to accelerate the adoption.

Application programming interface (API) is an important capability for connecting software applications and systems. The API allows developers to create software that use the functionality and data offered by another application or system. This enables innovation and workflow automation, and it is a critical part of the digitally connected ecosystem. As industries become more digitized, APIs become more important. The telecommunications sector has been developing API capabilities for some years, but they have not been able to commercialize their APIs, until now. There have been major developments in 2024 as the standardization of APIs through the CAMARA project, which is an open-source project within the Linux Foundation to develop and test APIs in collaboration with the GSMA (for more, please see GenAI, Network APIs, and 5G are Coming Together Nicely to Drive App Development and CX, March 7, 2024). There are two key areas of API opportunities for the telcos – network APIs and communications APIs – but they sit in different domains and attract different developer communities. Some telco-focused vendors are now bringing the two domains together.

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Generative AI Watch: Google I/O Fires on All Cylinders, but What will Become of the Search Business?

by Beatriz Valle, posted in Big Data, Cloud Enable, IT Leader
B. Valle

Summary Bullets:

• Google’s I/O event for developers included the announcements of Project Astra, Gemini 1.5 Flash, and a new tensor processing unit (TPU) architecture.

• Google also updated Gemini 1.5 Pro, extending its context window from one to two million tokens, and refining its code-generation and reasoning capabilities.

Google I/O 2024 included an impressive array of generative AI (GenAI) announcements such as upgrades to Google Gemini (Gemini), an AI assistant called Project Astra, and a new chipset architecture. The release of Trillium, the sixth generation of Google Cloud TPUs confirms Google’s position in the contested silicon market, where a competitive microprocessor architecture has become an essential element in the arsenal of every hyperscaler trying to beef up its GenAI strategy. This was demonstrated once again when Microsoft recently announced a new collaboration with AMD. As the original pioneer of custom-made, proprietary semiconductors for AI, Google is keeping the platform fresh by releasing timely upgrades. The new architecture includes the next generation of SparseCore, an accelerator for processing the embeddings found in AI-based ranking and recommendation systems.

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IBM Sheds QRadar in an Active Cybersecurity M&A Season

by Amy Larsen DeCarlo, posted in IT Leader, Secure

Amy Larsen DeCarlo – Principal Analyst, Security and Data Center Services

Summary Bullets:

• IBM is selling its QRadar security assets, including its security information and event management (SIEM) to partner Palo Alto Networks for an undisclosed sum.

• IBM will train 1,000 staffers on the technology and its consulting unit will continue to support the technology.

Cybersecurity is a priority but also a challenge for enterprises navigating tight budgets, skill set limitations, and too many discrete solutions to manage. Cybersecurity vendors are dealing with some pushback from customers who want to streamline security management and work with fewer disparate tools. Vendors often excel in one area of security but lack key adjacent capabilities. Innovation requires significant investment. Continue reading “IBM Sheds QRadar in an Active Cybersecurity M&A Season” →

Vodafone 5G Edge Update Notes Maturing Portfolio – and Customers

by John Marcus, posted in Internet of Things, Mobilize, Network
John Marcus – Senior Principal Analyst, Enterprise IoT, Mobility, Private Networks, and Service Innovations.

Summary Bullets:

• Vodafone has now delivered more than 100 mobile private networks (MPNs), most of which are now in production environments.

• Vodafone’s MPN portfolio incorporates hybrid networks and slicing, but most production deployments include a dedicated, on-premises component – although MEC demand remains limited.

Vodafone Business provided an update to analysts in May 2024 on what Vodafone calls its 5G edge. For the most part, this refers to its dedicated MPN offering, but also incorporates hybrid MPN and mobile edge compute (MEC) solutions.

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Tech Giants Team to Form Climate Impact Symbiosis Coalition

by Rob Pritchard, posted in Big Data, IT Leader

Robert Pritchard July 2022 100

Summary Bullets:

• Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce to pursue nature-based carbon removal procurement in their sustainability efforts, and to encourage others to follow suit.

• Large tech companies continue to lead in the battle against climate change, whilst also being major consumers of energy, water, and other natural resources.

Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce have formed the Symbiosis Coalition, which aims to facilitate an “advanced market commitment” (AMC) of up to 20 million tons of nature-based carbon removal credits (defined as “measurable, verifiable emission reductions from certified climate action projects”). The agreement is believed to be “the first and largest AMC ever” (surely being the first, it must be the largest…) for nature-based carbon removal, equating in volume to the 2030 carbon removal goals of the state of California.

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Huawei Analyst Summit 2024: Huawei’s Focus on AI is Trying to Address Industries Outside its Traditional Telco Domain

by Beatriz Valle, posted in IT Leader

Bvalle100

Summary Bullets:
• At the Huawei Analyst Summit (HAS 2024) hosted in Shenzhen, analysts and press had the opportunity to find out more about the company’s “All Intelligence” strategy.
• The company is focusing on extending its reach across international markets outside its domestic market in China, particularly in EMEA and Latin America.

During his keynote address, Chairman Eric Xu emphasized that over the past 300 years, humans have gone through three industry revolutions: the intelligent revolution; the information revolution; and the computing revolution. In the next 20 years, we will enter an age of “all-intelligence”; with four technical breakthroughs responsible for that achievement: mathematic computing; clean energy; powerful and affordable pervasive computing; and the information explosion generated by using and creating massive amounts of data.
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Google Cloud and CSA Research Finds Enterprises See AI’s Potential to Elevate Threat Intelligence

by Amy Larsen DeCarlo, posted in Secure
Amy Larsen DeCarlo – Principal Analyst, Security and Data Center Services

Summary Bullets:

• In a survey of 2,486 IT professionals conducted by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and Google Cloud, 63% say AI will help them elevate threat detection and response.

• Most view AI as beneficial to their roles, rather than a replacement of personnel.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is central to many tech conversations. Cybersecurity is no different. Enterprises have been using machine learning (ML) to set a baseline of a normal operating environment and then to discern malicious activity from harmless anomalies. With the rise of generative AI (GenAI), there are more discussions on how to use the technology to improve threat intelligence, workflow, and incident response. At the same time, there is some nervousness about the integrity of AI output. There are also questions around the subject of bad actors using AI as an offensive weapon.

Continue reading “Google Cloud and CSA Research Finds Enterprises See AI’s Potential to Elevate Threat Intelligence” →

Meta Says Goodbye to Workplace, but its Absence will Hardly be Felt

by Gregg Willsky, posted in Cloud Enable, Communicate
G. Willsky

Summary Bullets:

• After almost a decade in the market, Meta is closing its team collaboration platform named Workplace.

• Workplace users have a two-year horizon to depart the platform.

It’s official. Workplace, Meta’s team collaboration platform, will not last for even a decade. The platform succumbed to more pressing corporate priorities and unrelenting competition from marquee players. Although Workplace is not going anywhere immediately, the decision to shutter the platform that was launched in 2016 has been made and the timeline for its demise has been cast.

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Comcast Sees Upside in Mobility as it Makes Pragmatic Moves to Tap Growth

by John Marcus, posted in Internet of Things, Mobilize
John Marcus – Senior Principal Analyst, Enterprise IoT, Mobility, Private Networks, and Service Innovations.

Summary Bullets:

• Comcast Business has set a long-term goal of generating its “next $10 billion” in annual revenues.

• Mobile and IoT are among areas where some of that growth is being sought, but efforts so far can be described as pragmatic and realistic.

As Comcast Business contemplates what it sees as a total addressable market of $50 billion, it has been pragmatically plugging holes in its portfolio to pursue some of the lower-hanging fruit around small business, including mobile (where it reported 6.9 million consumer and business customers in Q1 2024). Indeed, mobility and IoT were included often in executives’ comments at the Comcast Business Analyst Conference in April 2024 where there was also agreement that it remains early days for the company in those domains.

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Lower Emissions, Circularity, and Repurposing Street Furniture for Sustainability in the UK

by Rob Pritchard, posted in Communicate, Internet of Things, IT Leader, Network
R. Pritchard

Summary Bullets:

• Virgin Media O2 reports significant direct carbon emissions reductions, climate-related efficiencies through smart meters, and progress in the circular economy with device refurbishment and reuse.

• BT’s trial of repurposed street cabinets for vehicle charging adds to initiatives and innovations that illustrate potential power of action by tech companies and customers.

In the week reported, the world’s oceans have broken temperature records every single day of 2023 and – shortly after – the UK government was defeated in court for not doing enough to meet its targets for cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it is encouraging to see telcos in the UK addressing the global climate crisis.

Continue reading “Lower Emissions, Circularity, and Repurposing Street Furniture for Sustainability in the UK” →