Colt's network transformation
Tuesday, July 1, 2014 at 3:57PM Colt's technology and architecture specialist, Mirko Voltolini, talks to Gazettabyte about how the service provider has transformed its network from one based on custom platforms to an open, modular design.
It was obvious to Colt that something had to change. Its network architecture based on proprietary platforms running custom software was not sustainable; the highly customised network was cumbersome, resistant to change and expensive to run. The network also required a platform to be replaced - or at least a new platform added alongside an existing one - every five to seven years.
Mirko Voltolini
"The cost of this approach is enormous," says Mirko Voltolini, vice president technology and architecture at Colt Technology Services. "Not just in money but the time it takes to roll out a new platform."
Instead, the service provider has sought a modular approach to network design using standardised platforms that are separated from each other. That way, a new platform with a better feature set or improved economics can be slotted in without impacted the other platforms. Colt calls its resulting network a modular multi-service platform (MSP).
