Writing the book on software-defined networks

CRC Press is pleased to announce its newly published book, Building the Network of the Future: Getting Smarter, Faster, and More Flexible with a Software Centric Approach by John Donovan and Krish Prabhu.

Great explorers do more than just venture into the unknown. They also bring back maps and guides to show others the path forward. In 2014, AT&T embarked on a journey to rethink how networks are designed and built. Network traffic soared due to smart phones and mobile device popularity. The old network model couldn’t keep up. Throwing more network gear – switches and routers and other bulky devices – at the problem was inefficient and expensive.

Software was the only way forward. Most consumers were already making the hardware-to-software switch. Think of how you’ve replaced your cameras, music players and video game systems with apps on your phone.  AT&T decided to do the same thing with their network. They turned routers, switches and firewalls into software apps running on standard servers. It was a first for the telecom industry and the wide area network. It was a difficult expedition into undiscovered territory. But they pulled it off.

Now, they are well on their way towards their goal of virtualizing 75% of their network by 2020. AT&T hit 34% in 2016, and aim to hit 55% this year. Getting there isn’t easy. And many companies don’t have the resources or the time to recreate their path. So they decided to draw a map, which has become their book, Building the Network of the Future: Getting Smarter, Faster, and More Flexible with a Software Centric Approach. The detailed technical blueprint shares valuable lessons we learned on this journey and it’s receiving some high praise. All author proceeds from the book will go to charity.

Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President of Cloud Infrastructure at Google, said, “Software is changing the world, and networks too. In this in-depth book, AT&T’s top networking experts discuss how they’re moving software-defined networking from concept to practice, and why it’s a business imperative to do this rapidly.”

AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson notes in his foreword to the book that managing the flood of network traffic “might be the single greatest logistical challenge of the 21st century.”

While the book is intended for a technical audience, it’s an important marker on the network journey both consumers and enterprises are on.

About CRC Press: CRC Press is a premier publisher of scientific, technology and medical resources, reaching around the globe to collect essential reference material and the latest advances and making them available to researchers, academics, professionals and students in a variety of accessible formats. CRC Press is a member of Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business. For more information, visit www.crcpress.com

About AT&T: AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, business, mobile and high speed internet services. We offer the nation’s best data network* and the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider.** We’re one of the world’s largest providers of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. Nearly 3.5 million companies, from small to large businesses around the globe, turn to AT&T for our highly secure smart solutions. 

Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at facebook.com/att and YouTube at youtube.com/att. © 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
*Claim based on the Nielsen Certified Data Network Score. Score includes data reported by wireless consumers in the Nielsen Mobile Insights survey, network measurements from Nielsen Mobile Performance and Nielsen Drive Test Benchmarks for Q3+Q4 2016 across 121 markets.
**Global coverage claim based on offering discounted voice and data roaming; LTE roaming; and voice roaming in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier. International service required. Coverage not available in all areas. Coverage may vary per country and be limited/restricted in some countries.

For more information, please contact:

Danielle Griffin
Tel.: 561-998-2589
Email: Danielle.Griffin@taylorandfrancis.com.

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