Clayton Lockhart, AT&T’s Vice President, Local Services and Access Management spoke at TiE-Boston monthly dinner meeting on Tuesday, August 17th at Burlington Marriott. ‘The Cybernated Network’ was the topic of his talk. Lockhart presented the Network and Access Infrastructure and the framework of the cybernated network.

The cybernated network is a highly secure, reliable and customer-centric networking environment that will integrate and simplify the systems, processes and networks of its business customers. The Cybernated network or the network of future will replace today’s multiple networks with single, Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) – enabled backbone and multi-service edge architecture. Information will travel globally over an optical IP-based core, with intelligent nodes and multi-protocal/multi-service capabilities at the edges.

Once this network becomes operational it will be able to analyze traffic patterns on its own, anticipate user needs and suggest additional capacity and services to meet user’s changing demands. The technology will enable users to carry a single number to identify them on network wherever they go. They will be able to use-voice activated services to call up remote servers over broadband wireless connections. The cybernated network will become increasing personalized based on the user needs.

Lockhart presented the complex network and access infrastructure and described the components the make the system work. He also described the issues faced by service provides with different protocols and making different equipment work. A layered architecture with clean layers and modularity can solve the problem. The newrork architecture is made of IP or ATM based MLPS at the core and Multiple Service Edge(MSE) supporting multiple modes of access such as Ethernet, Broadband, Wireless, etc. “It is about supporting multiple end points, access technologies and application services,” said Lockhart.

"The feasible path for establishing cybernated network is by eliminating complexity of old networks and reducing volumes of legacy units”, said Lockhart. He shared AT&T’s vision and how it is streamlining and redefining itself to create ‘Cybernated Network’. He said such a network is not so distant future.

Raj Alur was the chair of the session and introduced the speaker. Alur is the managing director of Vestbrigde Partners, LLC. He is the chairman of Switching and Transport Special Interest Group(SIG) of TiE-Boston. The SIG brings together technical professionals, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists who have a special interest in optical components, optical communications and other applications of optics.

Vinit Nijhawan, President-Elect of TiE Boston began the meeting by presenting the activities and achievements of TiE-Boston. He described the membership benefits and asked the attendees to make use of them.

More information about TiE and its upcoming events can be found at http://www.tie-boston.org/

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