Clarence Reynolds, TelecomTV (00:13):
VMware and Broadcom are collaborating with communication service providers to drive cloud native adoption and modernized telecom infrastructure. Sidd Chenumolu, head of product management for the software-defined edge division at VMware by Broadcom is here to share his insights on the challenges and opportunities in transitioning to cloud native networks. Sidd, thank you for being with us today. I want to start by asking you to describe your current role at VMware by Broadcom and its main responsibilities.

Sidd Chenumolu, VMware by Broadcom (00:44):
So at VMware by Broadcom, I'm responsible for product management for our telco products. And what this means is that in addition to doing, releasing the products that are for our CSPs, I also do partner management where I work with different partners who are providing the software in this case, whether it's a 5G software or 4G or RAN or O-S-S-B-S-S to make sure we work with their partners and also the service providers directly. And most of our products, those are performance enhanced and are based on open standards. That means whether it's based on Etsy or Ann, and much more. Where we are is that our products are really designed and our main customers are the engineering, operation, technology, it, and other segments of the service provider. We offer really a horizontal platform for a service provider to run their applications end to end with the common tool sets. And with Broadcom, the focus is on simplicity. Simplicity in our offering, simplicity in for customers to understand the product and simplicity and usage of it. So think of it like a single solution, which gives a maximal value to our customers to really run the cloud native applications at scale.

Clarence Reynolds, TelecomTV (02:07):
So how are VMware and Broadcom collaborating with CSPs in the present market?

Sidd Chenumolu, VMware by Broadcom (02:13):
If you look at the tagline for Broadcom, it basically says connecting everything, which kind of sums up everything what CSPs are doing. So think of it like a hardware and software and both are complimentary. Today one has to look at what Broadcom offers, whether on the hardware site, they're the enablers, all the way that starts from the handsets, it goes to the base stations, networking, gear routing, switching data centers, and much more. Basically everything that service provider does in connecting the digital world. Broadcom has a play in there and VMware is complimentary to that. So Broadcom was focused more on the hardware side. VMware brings that same enablement to the software where we are virtualizing end-to-end every application that is possible for a service provider to run a common horizontal platform. So Broadcom hardware, VMware software, both are complimentary, but now that is not where we stop.

(03:12):
In addition to modernizing the infrastructure for service provider, we also work very closely with the service providers on monetization. Now we have been working with quite a few on convergence. For example, whether the convergence is between satellite or mobile or mobile or fixed wireless. With SD WAN offering, we work with them on monetizing it, both sell with the sell through. Similarly, as you met, I've heard clients before that there's a lot of effort by service provider in going to the edge, working with the enterprises, this is another thing that we do with our service providers where we are able to offer them edge capabilities to run at scale. That means whether the edge is at manufacturing or utilities, we are rarely offering them capabilities with a single platform to manage heterogeneous applications at each of these edge locations at scale. So hardware enablement, software enablement and monetization. Three pillars.

Clarence Reynolds, TelecomTV (04:12):
Sidd, during your previous tenure as VP for a technology development at Dish Wireless, what was your approach to cloud native technologies there and what key lessons did the organization gain from your experience?

Sidd Chenumolu, VMware by Broadcom (04:25):
That's a good question. I probably have to rewind six years of my life here to answer that. At Dish, I had a different responsibility and I was really responsible for building a new network from the ground up. But again, the approach was quite different, was not trying to build a network only for connectivity. Think of it like a network as a platform where connectivity happened to be one of the services. The closest example I can give, and I was reading it over the weekend, was an Uber where Uber, when it started, it was really about connecting the drivers with the people who wanted a ride. But the platform itself was quite flexible and it turns out Uber Rideshare was just one of the services. Then they started Uber Eats, which was connecting the restaurants and convenience store then became Uber rental. So that was the approach that I had taken back to develop the 5G network for Dish where connectivity was just one of the tenant.

(05:25):
Now, once you are on a mission like that, this goes beyond simple connectivity. You're really trying to build a network that is scalable, elastic, and programmable. That means cloud native becomes the de facto way to deploy and manage a network. Now, as part of that, we are in addition to building the teams from the ground up, we are also going through much of upskilling training people on cloud native way. And equally important was our selection of different partners who believed in the theme and the story and the vision. Now, five years ago, not every application provider was able to deliver cloud native solutions. So this was more of a journey where we had to go as an ecosystem who continued to believe in the cloud native way and deploy the next generation network. So think of it like you are not just doing one thing, you're doing a series of things in parallel to make it a success.

Clarence Reynolds, TelecomTV (06:26):
From your perspective, what are the primary motivations for a CSP to modernize its infrastructure by transitioning to a cloud native network?

Sidd Chenumolu, VMware by Broadcom (06:36):
I'd say probably three big reasons. One is there is a cost efficiency factor here where every service provider is trying to really lower the cost and cloud native is one good mechanism to do a better cost efficiency, cost management on long-term basis, it's really the operational cost. The second one is probably goes back to monetization, where the telcos are trying to become TechCo and going into the field of expansion and partnership going from a vertical to a horizontal. So cloud native becomes the defecto way of managing the network. The third, in addition to cost and revenue, I would say third one is really that is where the overall industry is going. All the application providers stood, the platform providers ecosystem is moving to a cloud native. So telcos by default are also forced into modernizing the network into something new that is more of a future proof. It's quite difficult to patch up the old networks,

(07:44):
But actually as you think more about it, there might be two other reasons and probably very important ones too. One is the AI today, there's a lot of work that's being done across the industry on ai, and so does service providers also working on that. Now, the low hanging fruit has been generative AI for call centers for service providers. But again, we have seen AI making strides into network operations. So in order to benefit from ai, cloud native again, becomes a default way to doing stuff. But most importantly, in my opinion probably is a security. If there was a security incident today, service providers would be at a loss patching a legacy hardware or a software because of two reasons. One is there might be not good enough visibility of a security incident, but more importantly, it may take time for them to patch something which is a critical vulnerability for them. So security is a good reason for service providers to move on to cloud native deployment.

Clarence Reynolds, TelecomTV (08:47):
In light of the motivations that you just outlined, what are the most significant challenges CSPs should consider before migrating to a cloud native environment?

Sidd Chenumolu, VMware by Broadcom (08:58):
I like to talk everything in a sets of three. So by the way, let me clarify. Many service providers are well onto the journeys of transformation to cloud native or basically they at a different milestones and with the different velocity there. But I said three things. People process partners. I think all three have to work in harmony for a service provider for transformation. When I say people, it's obviously to have the right skillsets with the right mindset, and also we are looking at upskilling or retraining the workforce to make sure they understand the real benefits and how to operate a cloud native network. The second one is the processes. Building a cloud native network is only half the problem. In fact, I think the bigger problem is operationalizing it and running it like how it's intended to be. For example, the processes of lifecycle management.

(09:58):
How often do we do a service release or a network release or a feature release? Should we avoid the long-term maintenance windows in the midnight? How about we do supply chain management? So things like that. All the processes that are inherently built into service providers also need to be looked at for cloud native transformation. And third probably is equally important are the partners. The service provider is, I call him as a amalgamation for dozens of partners who work in harmony to make the services work. In this case, the connectivity work. Now service providers need to ensure that the partners they have are also in sync with them and they're not the ones who are trying to slow things down for them. In fact, they should be more of an enablers. It's not just the products. Even the support teams from the partners should also be completely conversant and capable of operating and maintaining a cloud native environment. So three things, people, process and partners.

Clarence Reynolds, TelecomTV (11:04):
So how is VMware currently supporting and preparing CSPs for future cloud native adoption?

Sidd Chenumolu, VMware by Broadcom (11:10):
We work in two different areas. One is we work with CSPs directly to enable them on cloud native transformation. And second is we work in the background, but as we work with the partners in the ecosystem, so think of it like what meets the eye and what doesn't like a iceberg, right? Let me talk about the one that we work in the background with the ecosystem and the industry. So we have quite a few programs on that. Let me touch on couple. One is the ready for telco. This is our program that works to develop the ecosystem for the service providers where we work with the wider industry and help them get into writing their applications in a cloud native manner. We onboard the applications, we work with the application providers, advise them for example, time and again, we see when we get an application from ISV, they're hardcoded for example, they might have hardcoded IP address our namespace.

(12:10):
We tell them, Hey, this is not how you do in a cloud native environment. We help them rewrite the applications. So it's more of an ecosystem development. We give them our software for them to validate against. The second is we call in telco integration, where we take this applications for telco service providers and do detailed testing. Detailed testing in terms of performance, scaling lifecycle management to make sure there is service training, continuity, et cetera. So what really benefits to service providers is when they get the software into their own labs, it really cuts down the time so that they're only focused on ensuring that the applications and the platform is working on their reference architecture with their networking, with their security policies, et cetera. But it really cuts down the testing by several weeks. So that's on the background. What we work for the ecosystem directly for the service provider, we work with them directly on not only the transformation, we have customer success teams, we work with them on the services we work with them on, advise them on the architecture best practices. We also work with them on the migration. And as I said before, that it's not just about the modernization of the infrastructure, we also work with them on the monetization. So think of it VMware as a partner who works with them on all parts of their lifecycle management and the network.

Clarence Reynolds, TelecomTV (13:39):
Well, Sidd, thank you very much for your insights today.

Sidd Chenumolu, VMware by Broadcom (13:42):
Thank you.