Keeping the Pipes Clean

Many industry professionals sensibly opt to converse in analogies, simplifying the clear-as-mud world of four-letter acronyms to instead describe the world of broadband as a motorway with dirt-track off-ramps, for example. Or drawing parallels between airlines and telecom firms to describe the services-led approaches needed to combat the commoditization of bandwidth.

My favorite of these old chestnuts is the concept of ISPs and telecom firms as utility providers; that somehow the provision of data services is very much the same as the provision of water, for instance. Both have the reservoirs (backbone), pipes (Digital Subscriber Line), taps (customer premises equipment), meters (billing), the list goes on It’s a clever and convincing argument but with one immovable blockage lodged firmly in the U-bend: Water provided by the local utility is cleansed and service provider connectivity is not.

If service providers wish to subscribe to the ideal that the pervasiveness of modern communications will compel residential and business consumers to absorb increasing amounts of bandwidth and services as essential utilities, it is clearly incumbent upon them to start behaving like other utility providers. They need to offer a ready-to-consume service that requires no additional treatment – a service that will not cripple the very devices it is meant to feed.

Owing to a mixture of government dictum, voluntary practice, and commercial expediency, water companies regularly reinvest substantial sums of their revenues, ensuring that their product is provided reliably and filtered free of the kind of nasty content that could seriously harm the very people who pay to use it. In telecom, if a customer gets cholera in the virtual service water then it becomes their problem.

Changing of the Guard, Assuming Clean Network ResponsibilityIn many ways, a reinvigorated self-examination of a service provider's corporate social responsibility would actually provide its business with a decent commercial return and possible competitive advantage. The biggest single obstacle stopping enterprises from placing business-critical applications and resources (supply chain management, voice networks, collaboration systems, payment and transaction databases, etc.) outside of their own closed networks and inside the Internet cloud as part of a managed service, is the well-founded concern of security. With the increasing volume of viruses, hackers, worms, spam, spyware, and grayware out "in the wild," the world’s network has ceased to be a mighty river and turned into a festering swamp. IDCrecently noted that “swamp residents” include Script Kiddies, Wannabees, Vandals, Hacktavists, Organized Crime, Terrorists, Foreign Intelligence Agencies, and Hackers for Hire.

Enterprises do not wish to have their brands and revenue-generating services damaged, any more than residential users want to risk attacks on their computer hard drives every time they go online. Clean-water ISPs would surely be warmly received and immediately obtain a differentiating advantage over their competitors. Traditional utility providers can now only really differentiate from each other on price. This is a non-sustainable advantage.

A counter-argument to cleansed bandwidth is that science has long since conquered water-born bacteria, while ever changing Web-born computer bugs will forever run riot. This is simply not reality, since dynamically eliminating computer malware from entering the bandwidth water is possible today. Firstly, both human and digital nasties constantly evolve, as do the malicious tactics of intruders. Secondly, our ability to control these "utility threats" depends upon our ability and commitment to pursue a technological solution that can evolve to eliminate ever-changing virus mutations. Some in this world have access to clean sterilizing agents and network security alike, while those that haven’t suffer grave and unnecessary operational and ultimately financial fallouts.

Becoming a true utility provider means signing up to a charter that promises a reliable, clean, secure product. I can think of no reason why users would not herald such a service advancement and customer commitment.

Lessons From the Electrical Utility IndustryThe responsibility of utilities to provide a clean product has pushed their industry one stage further, particularly following the Kyoto protocol, which recommended reductions in industrial carbon emissions. The London Carbon Exchange will allow clean providers to cash in any surplus emission allowances, at the expense of dirty providers, which must purchase excess allowances on the open market or else face fines and further censure. The simplicity and transparency of the system gives fair reward and fair punishment according to how well they deliver on their social responsibilities. What odds would a similar exchange for the service provider industry face in the market for virus-ridden traffic, unsolicited content, or network downtime?

Whether alongside a voluntary charter or under a piece of enforced legislation, telecom firms could finally differentiate and offer enhanced user value at a greater premium. Without either, they’ll continue to plumb the depths of a non-potable commodity rather than cleansed service offering. Customers will likely vote with their wallets for a virus-free network connection that will not endanger their business operations or capital investments. The choice is pure and clear.

— Jonathan Mepsted, Regional Director, UK, Ireland, and South Africa, Fortinet Inc.