2024 Showcase

2024 ONUG Spring + AI Networking Summit


Check out highlights of ONUG Spring 2024, with a strong AI in networking theme. Converge! Digest and AvidThink were able to capture some useful insights from speakers and attendees at this two-day event. Thanks to all interviewees for their perspectives on AI in networking, cybersecurity, network-as-a-service (NaaS), and more!
We noticed the NaaS panel at ONUG experienced unprecedented interest. The seating area ran out of headsets and chairs! Coincidentally, we just launched our Campus NaaS report. Campus networking is a $35B market today, and a bunch of NaaS upstarts, funded to the tune of $500M, are looking to upstage incumbents. Learn more about this rising market in our report. What's more, one of our ONUG 2024 interviewees is featured in the report — find out who by downloading the report today.

Video interviews

Spotlight on: IBM

Networking AI - Omniscient, Omnipotent Genie

Andrew Coward, GM of Software Networking at IBM, discusses the integration of AI into networking, emphasizing its potential in managing networks end-to-end and improving application performance. An effective AI must have access to all network data and the ability to make changes across the network infrastructure.

Spotlight on: Graphiant

Building an AI Data Exchange

Ali Shaikh, Chief Product Officer at Graphiant, highlights the shift towards data sovereignty and the role of networks in facilitating AI growth through data exchanges. Shaikh introduces the concept of carrier Network as a Service (NaaS), predicting that companies will need on-demand networks address connectivity of AI workloads.

Spotlight on: Alkira

Global Network Infrastructure as-a-Service + $100M Funding

Alkira CEO and CTO, Amir and Atif Khan, announced that the company, known for its on-demand network infrastructure and integrated network services, has raised $100 million in a Series C funding round. The funds will be used to expand their network infrastructure as-a-service offering globally.

Spotlight on: Meter

IT Teams Really Need NaaS

Anil Varanasi, co-founder and CEO of Meter, discusses the growing demands on networking and the challenges IT teams face in scaling operations. He highlights the benefits of the 'as a service' model in networking, such as enhanced connectivity, increased productivity, cost efficiency, and advanced security features.

Spotlight on: Aviz Networks

RoCE-based AI Fabrics and Network Co-Pilots

Vishal Shukla, CEO of Aviz Networks, highlights the dual role of AI in networking, which includes creating networks for AI workloads and enhancing network efficiency. He also discusses real-world examples of this in action at an Aviz customer, TensorWave.

Spotlight on: Gluware

AI's Emerging Influence on NetOps

Ernest Lefner, Chief Product Officer at Gluware, discusses the emerging influence of AI on network operations and introduces their new co-pilot, designed to simplify network troubleshooting and management.

Spotlight on: Nokia

Nokia's AI-Driven Enterprise Networking

Houman Modarres, Head of Enterprise Marketing at Nokia, highlights the company's dual approach to AI in networking, focusing on improving network efficiency and supporting data center infrastructure for large learning models.

Spotlight on: ACG Research

Tracking the AI Networking Buzz

Ray Mota, CEO and Principal Analyst at ACG Research, discusses the importance of AI in managing security and anomaly detection in service providers and enterprises, emphasizing the need for a practical approach to using AI to address specific challenges related to security, storage, and network.

Spotlight on: IBM

Network Complexity is an Enduring Challenge

David Coffey, Chief Product Officer at IBM NS1, discussed IBM's advancements in networking, including their efforts to help customers manage dynamic networking resources and operate applications more efficiently.

Spotlight on: ONUG

Networking AI in the Spotlight

Stephen Collins, CTO of ONUG, emphasized the significance of AI networking in the current market at the event, the importance of AI to network and security operations, and the challenges and constraints in working with and adopting AI.

Spotlight on: Quantea

Networking AI is more Artificial than Intelligent

Michael Francisco, CTO and Co-Founder of Quantea, discusses importance of quality data for AI. Francisco further highlights the need for secure AI-run automated processes, and discusses how they serve large enterprises across sectors like logistics, healthcare, insurance, and public institutions.

Featured companies

Reader feedback on our Campus NaaS Report: "Best report on NaaS I've read to date", "Well organized and researched", "Comprehensive and thoughtful". Download 2024 Campus Naas report now and send us your feedback!