Our team recently travelled to Austin, TX, for NANOG77, the 77th gathering of IT network operators. Here are some of the interesting things we discovered at this event.
The New (Old) Workplace?
Over many years, a remote team of network operators was seen as the way forward. Technology has enabled companies to bring the best talent together, geography notwithstanding, and the flexible work environment remains a highly sought-after perk that can help retain top talent. However, many organizations are reversing this trend, and starting to recall employees to the main offices as part of an effort to improve communication and collaboration. That said, we wonder if some of the technological advancements that 5G networks might unlock (for example, virtual/augmented reality conferencing) may provide the best of all possible worlds in this instance.
The Promise of Flexgrid
Traditionally, the optical channels used by DWDM solutions were built on a fixed grid of identically spaced channels (e.g., 50GHz spacing). However, when you need to send data with higher-order modulation, this can hinder optical performance. To address this challenge, customers with advanced ROADMs (reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers) can access Flexgrid, which can use software management to adjust optical channels to best fit the data being sent, including higher-baud rate coherent transmission.
If you would like to meet up with us in person, we will be attending MEF19 next week. If you’d like to stay updated on our 2020 event schedule, contact us today to join our mailing list.
