The following post is by DriveNets. We thank DriveNets for being a sponsor.
At service providers and network operators, demand for new and talented staff is on the rise, but with the ongoing move to software-based approaches and the cloudification of networks, the types of skills they are now seeking is changing. So in line with this demand, DriveNets has launched a new training and certification program for service provider network professionals, to seize on these new opportunities and offer network professionals a unique chance to get trained and to benefit from these new developments.
Networks and network engineers are back in the headlines. For good, when they make sure anyone can work from home without issues. Or less so, like when a BGP misconfiguration brings down Facebook/Meta services or a CLI command error causes KT’s network to go offline in Korea.
Besides all the bad news that COVID brought us, it has also helped accelerate the realization of the true value of networks, networking technologies, and the expertise required to run them. And it’s just the beginning.
Advancing Networking Skills
Yes, the network is changing – at all levels, including architecture, technologies and operations – and is becoming a valuable asset – again – for service providers, enterprises, application providers and, in fact, you and me.
Unfortunately, most networking professionals are not quite ready to handle these changes. As networks need to evolve to meet new capacity demands, this situation can be extremely problematic for both network operators and engineers.
5G core, Open RAN, edge and high-scale disaggregated networks are already here, and their adoption is growing quickly. They are based on open, cloud-native solutions as opposed to integrated, proprietary ones that have been in use until now.
This wave requires fresh skillsets, including expertise in:
• Hardware/NPU
• Virtualization
• Cloud-native technologies
• Network cloud/network disaggregation
• Security and automation
• CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment)
• Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)
• Deployment, troubleshooting and support models
A major challenge to service providers today is attracting and training networking professionals with the right, upgraded skillsets.
For networking professionals, the main challenge is how to handle the talent war that it’s about to begin.
Inspiration from Compute Infrastructure
Success was – and still is – all about people, as cloud infrastructure giants’ accomplishments indicated. High-quality, practical training and certification programs offered by hyperscalers and IT training companies led to highly-skilled engineers and cloud professionals with the right expertise. It’s been a win-win situation: employers get the skilled professionals needed to help them succeed, while the employees get the opportunity to open new career opportunities with higher salaries.
However, in a recent survey of 437 global firms, Gartner found that IT executives see skilled talent shortage as the most significant barrier to deploying emerging technologies.
The Critical Differentiator: A Skilled Workforce
Network service providers’ primary role continuously grows given today’s needs for highly available networks, higher capacity, low latency and more. Whether it’s for Netflix, Meta/Facebook, Zoom/virtual meetings, or online games, it’s up to service providers to be the unique link between application providers and their enterprise or consumer customers, at least for the last mile.
Driven by standards organizations like the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) or the Open Compute Project (OCP), some leading providers have already started their cloud-native networking journey for different parts of their network. Nevertheless, they still fear that the lack of in-house expertise will prevent them from achieving their desired results.
Source: Heaving Reading IP Networks Survey Analysis – 2021
While providers rely on either their own training or suppliers, 3rd-party training companies, or industry bodies to get their specialized workforce up-to-date with network developments, it is critical to expand this training in terms of depth, use cases, innovative approach and field experience. At the end of the day, true network transformation depends on their engineers’ skills and knowledge of the new network.
Cloud-native and network-centric skills are crucial in our environment. Security certifications and skills continue to be in high demand as we advance and protect the networks. AI and ML certifications and skills are increasing in value as we strive to boost our network’s ability to self-diagnose and self-heal. Our internal list of in-demand skills in short supply includes cloud infrastructure engineering, virtual network engineering, network software and systems integrators, machine learning data scientists, cloud-native software developers and security specialists, among others.
Verizon’s Adam Koeppe, Sr Vice President of Network Technology and Planning
Career Advancement Opportunity for Network Professionals
Network professionals have a unique chance to get trained and benefit from these new developments.
DriveNets, a leader in cloud-native networking software and network disaggregation solutions, is offering a new training and certification program for service provider network professionals. The goal is to get you ready and able to seize the new opportunities ahead. Different online and onsite courses are available, and cover not only a large range of technologies – from networking hardware to virtualization and cloud-native software – but also orchestration, operations and hands-on experience from real use cases. Access to a 24/7 hands-on lab is also being planned.
As a network engineer, it’s time for you to get ready and build up the right skillset to cater for the networks of the next 20 years! With open positions popping up at leading service providers throughout the world, you have the opportunity to advance your career – once you achieve the right skills.