Communications Service Providers Face New Challenges with Hybrid Cloud Environments

It's probably not news to anyone reading this blog that cloud usage and investments in cloud infrastructure have been growing. Technological advances such as virtualization and edge computing and the ever-expanding catalog of the Internet of Things (IoT), all enabled by 5G networks—as well as the new normal of remote working brought on by COVID-19—has spurred digital transformations across all industries and spaces, including public, private, and third party. What might be news is the numbers:

• Global growth of the cloud infrastructure market increased 360 percent over the past five years alone—with the number of cloud applications deployed growing from 2.8 million in 2013 to 33.5 million in 2020
• Worldwide public cloud end-user spending is expected to reach more than $397.4 billion in 2022
• 90 percent of business leaders responding to a survey reported that their company's cloud usage is higher than initially planned to meet increased demand from remote workers 
• 99 global network operators in 50 countries are investing in 5G standalone (SA) networks right now 
• 78 percent of enterprises have adopted a hybrid cloud strategy
• 81 percent of business leaders say the top cloud challenge is security 

So, what does that mean for communications service providers (CSPs)? It means service assurance has gotten more complex and become even more crucial for you and your customers. While you're expanding your 5G network, you must balance the investments in new technology with new or improved revenue-generating service offerings. Getting customers interested in buying those services relies in part on your ability to provide a seamless, excellent customer experience (CX). To do that, you'll need to see:

• Whatever is deployed, from any vendor
• However it's deployed, on any network or cloud
• Wherever it's accessed, from any network or cloud
• Whichever use case or service, e.g., performance management, network detection, and response, service assurance

You'll need a solution that provides what NETSCOUT calls Visibility Without Borders®. 

Visibility Without Borders uses NETSCOUT Smart Data derived directly from IP packets and provides full visibility across any network application programming interface (API) to develop a holistic, end-through-end view of network health by subscriber, device, and session. Smart Data also provides full visibility into edge services, cloud availability zones, cellular, and IP networks. An assurance solution based on Smart Data means that any interruptions in service are immediately seen and can be addressed, reducing mean time to repair (MTTR). It enables you to see every communication between different virtualized networks, all from a single pane of glass. If you have a service assurance solution that can apply artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to Smart Data, you will even be able to detect anomalies and trends that might otherwise be missed, allowing you to always meet and exceed your networks' service-level agreements and exceed your customers' expectations.

For more information about Visibility Without Borders, Smart Data, and the challenges and opportunities of hybrid cloud networks for 5G service providers, download our "Recipe for Success" white paper.