Packet is a business out to Build a Better Internet™. The company leverages its smart, API-driven bare metal solutions to power high-availability, performance driven workloads in the cloud. What does this dynamic, cloud-based, infrastructure company have to do with the wireless industry? Focused on end-users in the space, Packet is simply looking to make it easier for online innovators to succeed with infrastructure as they push the envelope of performance and value for their users. With wireless networks relying on the underlying wireline infrastructure, this mission crosses boundaries to meet the needs of mobile and fixed-line users. In our interview, Mr. Zachary Smith shares his perspective on the changes taking shape in the wireless industry and how innovative solutions are enabling a lot more to happen more efficiently. Read on to learn more.
TelecomNewsroom (TNR) Q1: What do you predict will be the long-term impact of emerging technologies and trends implemented in the coming 12 months?
Zachary Smith (ZS) A1: Wireless companies are starting to look alot more like hyperscale users of technology. Rapid deployment of hardware with fast-changing software seems to be the trend.
TNR Q2: What is the most exciting technology or solution that you are seeing in the market?
ZS A2: The movement towards software-defined solutions is exciting and represents a big opportunity for efficiencies and new services to be created. However, it will require a cultural shift from a standard operating mindset into a more agile software/DevOps approach.
TNR Q3: NEDAS NYC will address interesting solutions at the edge where wireline and wireless meet—how does the push to the edge impact your business?
ZS A3: Packet makes software to automate hardware for a developer user no matter where it is, what it is, or who owns it. As carriers and enterprises move more workload to the edge of the network, we see an increased need for automation platforms like ours.
TNR Q4: What is different about Packet?
ZS A4: Packet is the only cloud platform that enables the hardware and software ecosystem to move faster while keeping their value close to the customer. We are agnostic on hardware architecture, location of assets and ownership models, which sets us apart from other cloud platforms.
Very interesting and truly different Zachary—thank you for sharing with us. Solutions that cross the wireless / wireline divide will no doubt continue to enable more mobile capabilities. Our readers can learn more about Packet, the company founded by Mr. Smith by visiting www.packet.net. You can also tune-in to learn more or meet Mr. Smith at the upcoming NEDAS NYC Summit on September 6, 2018 in New York City at Convene Times Square. Smith will be joining industry power houses Andy Champagne, VP & CTO of Akamai Labs at Akamai Technologies; Najam Ahmed, VP Network Engineering at Facebook; and Jezzibell Gilmore, SVP Business Development for PacketFabric. To register for the NEDAS NYC Summit please click here.
About Zachary Smith:
Zachary has spent his last 16 years building, running and fixing public cloud infrastructure platforms. As the CEO of Packet, Zachary is responsible for the company’s strategic product roadmap and is most passionate about helping customers and partners take advantage of fundamental compute and avoid vendor lock-in. Prior to founding Packet, Zachary was an early member of the management team at Voxel, a NY-based cloud hosting company sold to Internap in 2011, that built software to automate all aspects of hosting data centers.
