Ninety percent of the world's data was created over the last two years and traditional networks will no longer cut it when it comes to managing this explosion in the new data society.
This is according to Ajay Gupta, director of product marketing for Huawei's enterprise business unit, who yesterday unveiled the ICT solutions provider's next-generation software-defined networking (SDN) tools, dubbed Huawei Agile Network, for SA.
The company claims its agile network is the industry's "first network centred on services, users, and experiences".
The solution has been deployed in some 200 networks for commercial use in industries including the public, finance, medical services, large enterprise, transport, education and broadcast media sectors.
Huawei says its agile network solution aims to help enterprises build multiple high-profile solutions such as intelligent transport, wireless cities, smart shopping malls, and smart travel. "Ultimately, it enables businesses to give end-users or employees the flexibility or 'agility' to access services on any device they are using, at any location - whether it is on a mobile, on a laptop, on a tablet; in the office, in a car, or at home."
Gupta says, with the "endless possibilities" the Internet of things presents, industry players need a network that can adapt to the disruptive technology that has entered the market over the past few years. "There is a company that is putting GPS technology in shoes, connecting people to the Internet for navigation when they walk. How do you deal with all the data that is being created on a daily basis?"
Local launch
While SA is yet to see deployment of Huawei's agile network solution, Gupta notes the country is ready for what he calls a "future-proof" network solution, and it is expected to make its debut on local shores between the end of the year and the beginning of 2015.
Huawei is in the process of proof-of-concept testing with a number of unnamed customers in SA. Gupta says, while there are challenges - such as bandwidth pricing - in SA, there is certainly a market for agile network solutions. The company is specifically targeting the education, mining and oil industries.
Despite the unique challenges SA's ecosystem presents, Eman Liu, president for Huawei's East and Southern Africa enterprise unit, says SA is set to catch up to its international counterparts. "We believe the South African government is planning to deploy national broadband in the coming years, with a budget of R6.5 billion for eight cities in phase one, and R14 billion for coming phases. So, within the next few years, SA will catch up to [places like] China and Europe."
Huawei launched its agile network in China last August, commencing with phase two in May this year, which saw the solution being launched across the globe. The network architecture includes Agile Branch, Agile Campus, Agile Data Centre, and Agile Wide Area Network solutions, with the Huawei Agile Controller at its core.
Gupta says Alibaba uses Huawei's Agile Data Centre solution, while Germany's Borussia Dortmund stadium uses its agile network tools to provide 80 000 football fans with free WiFi access, and China's smart bus solution, BUSAP, uses agile branch routers to provide high-speed WiFi access for passengers.
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