Letter to the Editor

By: Tim Young

“I don't know where I'm going,
But I'm on my way.”
-Popular WWI-era song composed by George Fairman, 1917

One year ends and the next begins, and boy what a ride around the sun this has been. It hasn’t always been pretty, but there has been continued change in the way we communicate, build networks, and distribute content. And even more changes are on the horizon as technology evolves and debates around issues like Net Neutrality rage on.

There are big issues to unpack: What role do CSPs play in the modern media landscape? How can networks be secured when those networks include billions of devices? What will the future of communications, media and entertainment mean for our networks and how we maintain them? How will automation change the way we live and work?

These are complex questions with complex answers, but as always, we’ll do our best to unpack them with the help of some of the top minds in the communications world.

In this issue of Pipeline, we discuss the top trends of 2017, which will surely influence us in 2018 and beyond. We tackle virtualization, IoT security, TOSCA, NFV, AI and cognitive computing, data complexity, intelligent software, intent-based networking and so much more. We examine what it means to be a CSP in the current era and the ways in which our continued technological progress relies on connectivity.

There’s an awful lot to explore, and we look forward to discussing it all with you in this issue and throughout the year to come.

We wish you all the best in the New Year!

Tim Young
Editor-in-Chief