Name : Michael Howard
Designation : Co-founder and Principal Analyst
Company Name : Infonetics Research
Topic: Carrier and Equipment Vendors: SDN and NSV strategies
Abstract:
The telecom industry is abuzz over SDNs and NFV, the next great technology hype and hope. Infonetics has interviewed the majority of global service providers that authored the original NFV white paper during 2013, as well as all the major equipment manufacturers. This presentation will cover preliminary data from the Infonetics survey, an architectural view of carrier networks in 2020 based on SDN and NFV, and observations about equipment vendors’ SDN and NFV positions, products, and customers. Timing of target use cases, what operators expect from SDN-NFV, the biggest hurdles and barriers, and a reality check for what can be expected when will be covered.
Bio:
Michael Howard co-founded market research firm Infonetics Research in 1990, and today is recognized worldwide as one of the industry’s leading experts in emerging markets, network operator trends, and user buying patterns.
Michael leverages over 40 years of communications industry experience, including 22 years in market research, to author numerous works year-round, including quarterly vendor market share and forecast reports, service provider surveys, Continuous Research Service (CRS) analyst notes, white papers, and custom research. He specializes in mobile backhaul, small cells, carrier Ethernet, edge and core routers, IP/MPLS control planes, IP VPNs, cloud access, 40GE/100GE, software-defined networks (SDNs), OpenFlow, and packet-optical transport.
Michael is a highly-sought speaker, and he frequently moderates webinars, chairs conference programs, and presents at industry events across the globe, including the Mobile Backhaul Conference at CTIA Wireless, 4G World, MPLS & Ethernet World Congress, Ethernet Europe, Carrier Ethernet World Congress (Europe and APAC), Ethernet Technology Summit, Evolving Packet Transport Networks, and SDN & OpenFlow World Congress. He is also regularly quoted in the press, including Information Week, Light Reading, FierceTelecom, Lightwave, OSP Magazine, Telecom Engine, Network World, Telecom Lead, CED Magazine, FierceBroadbandWireless, Carrier Ethernet News, and Laser Focus World.
As a consultant to startups, service providers, vendors, and the investment community, Michael helps clients identify new market opportunities, provides due diligence, and advises on positioning, product development, business plans, and M&A activity.
Before founding Infonetics, Michael was an IT Director at Tymshare/Tymnet, where he created network accounting and led the First Interstate Bank project that developed the world's first pre-Internet in-home banking system. Prior to that, shortly after receiving a BS in Mathematics from UC Berkeley, he worked for Systems Development Corporation on operating systems and programming language compilers for ARPAnet, which later became the Internet.
In 2008, Michael co-authored the book, Carrier Ethernet: Extending Ethernet Beyond the LAN, which received 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com. An accomplished abalone diver, chef, and photographer, Michael is based out of Infonetics’ corporate headquarters in the Silicon Valley.
Watch Michael's interview with TelecomTV on what's really driving SDN/NFV (or programmable networks).
Michael Howard authors or co-authors the following services:
Market Size, Market Share, and Forecast Services
Global Service Provider Surveys
Continuous Research Service