Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) for 'Dummies' and 'Smarties'
By For those of us in the technology business we are all aware of those yellow books with titles “XXX for Dummies.” And, while we may be aware, most people don’t necessary readily admit that they use these books as constant reference materials. However, the not so little secret is that the books, regardless of format in which they are consumed, are extremely popular, widely distributed globally and heavily referenced. Indeed, for those of us of a certain age, they are the equivalent of Cliff Notes which we all probably used when cramming for tests in high school and college and are still obviously around. However, the “Dummies” books are more like Cliff Notes on steroids because of their depth of topic coverage.
I bring this up because, thanks to Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), you can now download for free your personal copy of Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) for Dummies.
I like the introduction which says:
CSPs have an opportunity to move from disrupted to disruptor — and return to the epicenter of the telecommunications ecosystem. To do so, CSPs must embrace “IT-ification” — the application of mainstream IT technologies and techniques that have been developed and adopted by enterprise segments to increase their efficiency, customer responsiveness, and agility…. And, because no single vendor can do it all — CSPs must leverage an open, multivendor ecosystem…NFV enables CSPs to reset the cost base of their network operations and create the flexible service delivery environments they need to innovate more quickly and drive revenue.
Given the profound shifts/transitions now underway in the ICT industries in general, and telecommunications specifically, having more than a little working knowledge of NFV is going to be career-critical going forward. One need look no further than the headlines of a rumored massive layoff at Cisco and the downsizing of other telecom giants as they shed people with hardware-centric skills and look to software to not just eat the world but create sustainable differentiated value-added going forward.
I am not in the habit of recommending books or giving career advice. What I can say is that while I have been covering NFV since its inception, I have downloaded the book and already have found it to be something I rely on. As I was told by a very safe person at my very first job when I graduated college, “there are no stupid questions!” It is one of the reasons most of us just smile when we see a new entrant in the “Dummies” collection since it is a great way to not just sound smart but to be smart.
Edited by Alicia Young
