Industry 4.0, network automation is indispensable

Regarding the application of 5G in the enterprise environment, Frank Rayal, founding partner of consulting firm Xona Partners, recently wrote an article on Light Reading, pointing out that network automation will be the key. The full text is as follows:

Several years after the launch of 5G, the main issue for operators remains how to monetize 5G network investments, and enterprise wireless networks will be a potential source of revenue.

Many operators around the world have participated in trials to test 5G networks in enterprise environments, which have revealed the complexity of private networks and the associated costs. Some operators have begun to explore network automation solutions to facilitate the deployment, operation and maintenance of private networks. One of the reasons for the complexity is the diversity of enterprise applications - the performance requirements of enterprise applications running on private networks are significantly different from those of mobile broadband on the public network. The resulting friction increases the cost of enterprise networks, regardless of who manages them. Solving the "complexity curse" of private networks requires a multi-dimensional approach, and automation is a basic solution.

5G flexibility and complexity

Real writes that when working with enterprises on 5G networks, he found that many were aware of its differentiated capabilities but were concerned about the complexity of the networks. Ironically, 5G’s complexity is a direct result of its flexible architecture and feature set.

The 5G architecture provides many valuable capabilities that can meet the performance requirements of enterprise applications. Low latency through edge computing, guaranteed performance through slicing, and scalable use of spectrum are just a few examples.

The flexibility of 5G architecture comes from the use of cloud technology. Cloud-based architecture makes it cheaper to run different workloads (enterprise applications or network functions).

But this flexibility also has its drawbacks, leading to complexity in network configuration, operation and management. Hundreds of "control knobs" define how the network operates and how it performs. In addition, workloads can run in different locations, which must be optimized for cost and performance. Orchestration and management of end-to-end networks present new challenges for service providers and enterprises. This is why network automation is increasingly becoming a front and center as a tool to improve efficiency.

Impact of Enterprise SLA

The key difference between public networks designed for personal broadband services and private networks designed for enterprise applications is the SLA that controls network performance. Industry applications usually have strict requirements for availability, reliability, throughput, latency and other parameters. Many applications are classified as "mission critical", in which case (network) interruptions may have catastrophic consequences. Moreover, compared with mobile broadband, there are many more types of terminal devices and applications. This becomes the background for network automation throughout the life cycle in private networks. 

Solving complexity with automation

Network automation simplifies deployment, operations, and maintenance processes. It also accelerates related processes and scales them to handle large numbers of nodes, devices, and services. For example, consider where and how automation (deployment) is applied at different stages of the network lifecycle:

1. Planning and deployment: The enterprise identifies the services it needs and service level agreement (SLA) parameters such as data rate and latency. This will help determine the necessary network resources (number of nodes, spectrum, etc.).

2. Operation: Automation enables services to be provided on demand and run efficiently. It minimizes downtime and maximizes the use of network assets. Automated management sets up and uninstalls the resources required for specific services to meet their respective SLAs in real time.

3. Maintenance: For example, here (network automation) is a key part of enabling users to quickly identify faults and their causes. But more importantly, predictive algorithms can identify potential faults in advance, allowing users to proactively take corrective measures. This leads to the importance of end-to-end network visualization to guide users. In short, intelligence is the cornerstone of network operations and maintenance.

Network automation uses intelligent technologies to achieve these functions, such as machine learning, as shown in Huawei's iMaster MBB Automation Engine (MAE) 5GtoB product. The MAE 5GtoB product helps the machine vision product line run efficiently in Dongguan, and is also used in many fields such as steel, ports and automobile manufacturing.

Conclusion

Enterprises want to control their own networks, but they don't want to be the operators of the networks. Network cloudification makes enterprise deployment models possible, but cloudification cannot eliminate the complexity of network planning, deployment, operation and maintenance. Automation is a good solution to the challenges faced by many enterprises, but it still needs more verification. Vendors, operators and enterprises are actively deploying enterprise networks to verify performance, value propositions and business models, and network automation should be part of it.