2024 Conference Program

• Emcee: Toni Eid, Telecom Review Group, Founder
• Kevin Vachon, MEF, Chief Operating Officer

As we kick off the second LSO Automation Summit, we’ll take a moment to celebrate the past year’s milestones before we delve into what’s next. With six dynamic panel discussions led by top analysts and an enterprise-focused panel from our MEF Enterprise Leadership Council, we’re ready to explore the future of automation.

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Moderator: Roy Chua, AvidThink, Founder & Principal

Panel:

• Franck Morales, Orange Wholesale International, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
• Fahim Sabir, Colt Technology Services, Director, Digital Solutions
• Antonella Sanguineti, Sparkle, Head of Product Management

Leading service providers in the LSO ecosystem discuss the introduction of the NaaS federation concept into the MEF ecosystem, based on LSO business automation. They will touch on the roles of NaaS federation members, NaaS suppliers, NaaS buyers, and NaaS federation enablers.

Watch an onscreen demonstration of a platform on which members of the MEF ecosystem can immediately identify partners with whom they are interoperable via LSO APIs.

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Moderator: Roy Chua, AvidThink, Founder & Principal

Panel:

• Ari Banerjee, Netcracker, Senior Vice President of Strategy
• Divesh Gupta, Console Connect, Vice President, New Technology & Sales Operations
• Michael Kearns, Amartus, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer
• Abhi Sur, Salesforce, Senior Director of Product Management, Communications Industry

Service provider product groups typically need to justify the implementation of automation within their organizations. This discussion will address where standardized product payloads can increase the return on investment in LSO APIs for service providers while streamlining business through the NaaS supply chain using Internet Access and SD-WAN as examples.

We will also touch on the importance of understanding market segmentation of LSO business automation beyond international wholesale, including consumer markets, domestic enterprise, and domestic USA.

Moderator: Sunil Khandekar, MEF, Chief Enterprise Development Officer

Panel:

• Nabil Bitar, Bloomberg LP, CTO Office, Head of Network Architecture
• Daniel Lawson, Verizon Business Group, Senior Vice President of Global Solutions
• Raleigh Mann, Williams Sonoma, Senior Vice President, Technology
• Oliver Spatschek, AT&T, AVP MTS Network Data Services APIs & Integration

Enterprises and service providers discuss the opportunities to increase business automation afforded by LSO APIs. As an example, they highlight the new Circuit Impairment and Maintenance (CIM) service.

Also, visit the Enterprise Leadership Council Innovation Station any time to watch the LSO CIM Service API in action in a live demonstration; Innovation Stations stay open throughout the conference!

Moderator: Rosemary Cochran, Vertical Systems Group, Principal & Co-Founder

Panel:

• Bertrand Buclin, AT&T Business Intl, Head of Intl Tech Management
• Silke Hoesch, Telekom Deutschland, Senior Vice President Wholesale
• Scott Melanson, Verizon Business Group, Director, Digital Client Experience Group

Hear a discussion with leading service and technology providers on their experiences with implementing LSO APIs on the sell side, and the path forward to maximizing their return on investment opposite LSO Buyers, in emerging on-demand supply chains.

In addition, they will cover the key aspects of onboarding large numbers of LSO Sellers as they increase the breadth of their LSO API implementations and update their releases. It will also highlight the value of the MEF Onboarding & Interop Test (OIT) service and LSO API certification.

Panel:

• John Carr, TransUnion, Vice President of Business Development
• Michael Kearns, Amartus, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer

Increasing numbers of last-mile connectivity providers want to engage in the LSO ecosystem, but lacking resources to implement LSO APIs themselves. In response, LSO Solution Providers are offering portals for them to participate in the marketplace with LSO Buyers.

LSO Solution Providers will elaborate on options for smaller connectivity suppliers in NaaS and telecom supply chains.

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Panel:

• James Grant, Connectbase, Senior Vice President, Global Marketplace
• Michał Łączyński, Amartus, Solution Architect
• Wenyu Shen, NTT Communications, Senior Manager & Principal Architect
• Maciej Simm, Enxoo, Head of the Innovation Pillar
• Abhi Sur, Salesforce, Senior Director of Product Management, Communications Industry

In this final session of the LSO Automation Summit, we look at the implications of standardizing product models as LSO Payloads to support the rapidly growing need for bandwidth-on-demand and multi-cloud in AI use cases.

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• Daniel Bar-Lev, MEF, Chief Product Officer
• Emcee: Toni Eid, Telecom Review Group, Founder

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• Morning Emcee: Sal Salamone, Network Computing, Managing Editor
• Kevin Vachon, MEF, Chief Operating Officer

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Nan Chen, MEF, Chief Executive Officer

• Paul Gampe, Console Connect, Chief Technology Officer
• Marc Halbfinger, Console Connect, Chief Executive Officer

Pascal Menezes, MEF, Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer

NaaS is the combination of on-demand connectivity, application assurance, cybersecurity, and multi-cloud-based services across a standards-based automated ecosystem. NaaS solutions increasingly will be made of piece parts of many providers, which could include retail service providers, wholesale service providers, hyperscalers, technology solution providers, data center providers, and others.

MEF’s CTO will discuss the roles of ecosystem players and how they are working toward a common goal of building and scaling NaaS across automated networks.

The future of enterprise networking is already here, but the industry is only partway through its own digitization journey. While AI and data-driven innovation are pushing the limits of existing networks, many enterprises and service providers still rely on legacy architectures that are holding them back. The traditional models of MPLS VPNs and meet-me rooms are no longer sufficient to meet the growing demands of AI workloads and real-time data analytics.

The industry is at a tipping point where digitization isn’t just about the cloud—it’s about the network. As enterprises and service providers work to modernize, they are realizing that Private Connectivity Fabrics (PCF), fiber, and wave connectivity are not just options—they are critical components for scaling in the AI era.

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Michael Jenkins, Google Enterprise Network, Strategic Negotiator

Moderator: Sunil Khandekar, MEF, Chief Enterprise Development Officer

Panel:

• Nabil Bitar, Bloomberg LP, CTO Office, Head of Network Architecture
• Raleigh Mann, Williams Sonoma, Senior Vice President, Technology
• Neal Secher, TD Bank, Vice President, Head of Network Services
• Dan Snyder, UPMC, Chief Principal Architect

The future of enterprise networking is being defined by rapid advancements in cloud computing, AI, cybersecurity, and NaaS. Executive enterprise panelists will share their perspectives on digital transformation drivers, cloud-first strategies, AI-enhanced networking, cyber threats, and SD-WAN, Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), and NaaS adoption, etc.

Also, visit the Hot Mongoose Innovation Station any time to watch Hot Mongoose in action in a NaaS Accelerator Live demonstration; Innovation Stations stay open throughout the conference!

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Moderator: Erin Dunne, Vertical Systems Group, Director of Research

Panel:

• Will Eborall, AT&T Business, Assistant Vice President of Edge Solutions Product Management
• Senthil Ramakrishnan, AT&T, Assistant Vice President of Cybersecurity Technology
• Doug Robichaux, Cisco, Client Executive Mobility, IoT Service Creation, for AT&T

“The definition of NaaS varies within the industry and by customer, with each having different expectations from NaaS. Executive panelists share how they view Naas, the challenges NaaS addresses, where there is still opportunity, and what excites them about the future of NaaS.

Explore how deepening the relationships between service providers and vendors can help to simplify the customer experience by increasing flexibility, shorting deployment cycles, and enabling service bundling to drive innovation.”

Moderator: Roy Chua, AvidThink, Founder & Principal

Panel:

• Maurice Dean, Equinix, Director of Product Management, Network Software & Platform Architecture
• Usman Javaid, Orange Business, Chief Products & Marketing Officer
• Daniele Mancuso, Sparkle, Chief Marketing & Product Management
• Mirko Voltolini, Colt, Vice President, Innovation

Integration of NaaS with multi-cloud environments is essential for optimizing AI workloads in the era of AI-driven digital transformation. Executive panelists will delve into the critical role that network infrastructure plays in enhancing the performance, reducing the latency, and improving cost efficiency of AI operations across multiple cloud platforms.

Among other things, panelists will explore how NaaS can dynamically allocate network resources to ensure high performance of AI workloads, discuss how NaaS solutions can reduce latency for real-time data processing and other AI operations, and examine how the pay-as-you-go model of NaaS can lead to cost savings.

Panel:

• Joseph Blankenship, Forrester Research, Vice President, Research Director
• Deron McElroy, CISA, Chief of Cybersecurity, Region 6
• Bob Victor, Comcast Business, Senior Vice President of Customer Solutions

As highlighted in MEF’s new State of the Industry Report on Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), the risk of major cyberattacks against organizations, especially in critical infrastructure sectors, has never been greater. Join cybersecurity experts to discuss the evolving threat environment, the positive and negative impacts of AI on cybersecurity, and the key steps we need to take to contain the “blast radius” of attacks, minimize threats to critical infrastructure, and provide relief to those on the front lines of cyber defense.

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Paul Ruelas, Verizon Business Group, Assistant Vice President of Strategic Connectivity, Product & Marketing

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Also, visit the Silent Comet Innovation Station any time to watch Silent Comet in action in a NaaS Accelerator Live demonstration; Innovation Stations stay open throughout the conference!

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Afternoon Emcee: Siân Morgan, Dell’Oro Group, Research Director

Panel:

• Ian Foo, CyberRatings.org, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Product
• Samaresh Nair, Palo Alto Networks, Director of Product Management
• Manoj Krishnan Nair, Wipro, General Manager of Communications, Media, and Info Services, North Americas
• Bob Patterson, U.S. General Services Administration, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions Architect

For many enterprises, the digital transformation journey prioritizing cybersecurity will transition from SD-WAN or Secure Service Edge (SSE) to SASE (combining SD-WAN, Zero Trust, and SSE), and ultimately to secure NaaS solutions with integrated SASE. This session will explore leading SASE technologies and managed services that unify SD-WAN, Zero Trust, and SSE functions, providing comprehensive solutions that transform enterprise networking and cybersecurity architectures.

Speakers will share their perspectives on MEF’s new standards-based SASE certification comprised of individual certifications for SD-WAN, Zero Trust, and SSE.

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Jeremy Villalobos, Orchest Technologies, Chief Executive Officer

Panel:

• Karthik Sethuraman, Tata Communications, Regional Product Head – Americas, Core Connectivity Services
• Dan Snyder, UPMC, Chief Principal Architect
• Jeremy Villalobos, Orchest Technologies, Chief Executive Officer
• Mirko Voltolini, Colt, Vice President, Innovation

Enterprises increasingly are seeking NaaS solutions with a cloud-like consumption model that can be provisioned in near real time, scale or adapt quickly, and are available under flexible commercial models on a pay-as-you-go basis. Speakers on this panel will explore the essential features that customers should expect from NaaS. This includes always-on platform access, a management console, standardized API access for all business and operational functionality, usage tracking, real-time serviceability, short or zero-commitment contracts, online ordering, and much more. Also see MEF’s new white paper, NaaS Customer Experience: Articulating the Essential Features of a NaaS Offering.

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Panel:

• Raleigh Mann, Williams Sonoma, Senior Vice President, Technology
• Neal Secher, TD Bank, Vice President, Head of Network Services
• Steve Thomas, Frost & Sullivan, Senior Industry Director
• Benjamin Vigouroux, Orange Business, Vice President, Digital Infrastructure

Experts will discuss transitioning from traditional networking to NaaS, integrating SASE for robust security, and leveraging automation for network management.

Discover best practices for creating a scalable, cost-effective network infrastructure that ensures seamless, secure connections to multiple cloud environments, optimizing performance, and safeguarding data.

Gain insights into leveraging cutting-edge NaaS solutions to meet the evolving enterprise demands.

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• View demonstrations at innovation stations located throughout the main foyer at any time during the conference!
• Meet with customers at meeting tables and conduct business in private meeting rooms and suites.

Neil Danilowicz, MEF, Director of Test and Certification

In Q4 2024, MEF will launch a new MEF 3.0 LSO API Test & Certification Program targeted at a broad ecosystem of service providers of all sizes. This briefing will present program highlights, benefits, pre-requisites, and pricing. The session will also include a Q&A.

The 2024 NaaS Excellence Awards continue to set themselves apart, honoring advanced services, ecosystem automation, and influential professionals!

• Morning Emcee: Matt Palmer, SDxCentral, Chief Executive Officer
• Kevin Vachon, MEF, Chief Operating Officer

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Moderator:  Matt Palmer, SDxCentral, Chief Executive Officer

Panel:

• Shamus McGillicuddy, Enterprise Management Associates, Vice President of Research
• Ian Redpath, Omdia, Research Director
• Brian Washburn, Omdia, Research Director, Service Provider, Enterprise & Wholesale
• Gorkem Yigit, Analysys Mason, Research Director

Industry experts will share their perspective on the major trends and key players shaping the evolution of the NaaS market and the NaaS automated ecosystem.

Standardized APIs are essential for unlocking new revenue and value for customers, while making on-demand services more accessible for the broader developer community. This session explores some of the new approaches and strategies that MEF members can take to accelerate their adoption of LSO Sonata APIs and the long-term benefits these will bring to the industry.

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Enterprise network services involve complex stitching together of services, infrastructure, and technologies of multiple providers and vendors. Today, much of the work involved is manual or at best partly automated. This is a major challenge for NaaS providers when it comes to offering self-service and full service lifecycle automation, both key objectives of NaaS. In this session, we will present how providers can apply MEF LSO open standards and B2B2X network service supply chain automation to meet these objectives.

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Moderator:  Jitesh Bhayani, IDC, Research Vice President

Panel:

• Michael Kearns, Amartus, Chief Strategy Officer
• Ricky Tsui, Cisco, Global Director, SP & GTM Acceleration, Catalyst WAN Product Marketing Management
• Susan White, Netcracker, Head of Strategy & Portfolio Marketing
• Paul Ruelas, Verizon Business Group, Assistant Vice President of Strategic Connectivity, Product & Marketing

Service providers are working to empower customers with innovative NaaS solutions that address a wide range of needs, including connectivity, cloud access, application performance, visibility, control, and cybersecurity in hybrid cloud, multi-cloud, and work-from-anywhere environments. In this panel, industry leaders will explore prominent NaaS use cases and discuss the latest trends in service bundling, including on-demand Carrier Ethernet, Internet access, SD-WAN, SASE, multi-cloud connectivity, and more.

Join us to discover the unique challenges and opportunities of extending NaaS to satellites, and learn how to automate complex service environments that span both space and earth.

Network-as-a-Service has been the connective tissue that has enabled the seamless transition between these computing eras, and what future models are still to come. Join Lumen for an “Eras Tour” of networking models where NaaS is the common soundtrack for an industry coming of age.

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Moderator: Rob Schult, TeleGeography, Research Director

Panel:

• James Johnson, AT&T, Director of Product Development & Strategy
• John Nolan, Sage Management, Chief Executive Officer
• Abhi Sur, Salesforce, Senior Director of Product Management, Communications Industry

Networks supporting NaaS solutions will be fully API-driven, from the enterprise, across providers, and to the cloud. Automation must happen throughout the supply chain where all parties adopt a standardized set of processes and APIs at business process and operational levels.

We will discuss how ecosystem players are collaborating to reduce friction in the buying and selling of NaaS and other advanced services across automated networks.

We will hear about the benefits achieved by service providers who are using LSO business and operational APIs with customers and partners.

Rohit Batra, ServiceNow, Vice President and Head of Product Management for Telecom, Media, and Technology

Panel:

• Colin Bannon, BT Business, Chief Technology Officer
• Daniel Bar-Lev, MEF, Chief Product Officer
• Daniele Mancuso, Sparkle, Chief Marketing & Product Management
• Franck Morales, Orange Wholesale International, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Business Development

Executives from leading global service providers will share their perspectives on the emerging opportunities and challenges presented by NaaS federations and marketplaces. To fully harness the potential of NaaS, stakeholders must collaborate to build an automated ecosystem based on common service, automation, and cybersecurity frameworks, utilizing standardized and certified services and APIs whenever possible. As the industry evolves, sub-ecosystems will emerge and integrate into an overarching federated NaaS system—or potentially multiple federated systems. Think of these federations as the infrastructure that supports the creation of on-demand supply chains for network services.

In parallel with the rise of NaaS federations, NaaS marketplaces will also develop. These marketplaces will provide an environment where customers can choose and customize their NaaS offerings. Pioneering providers are already taking steps to build these NaaS marketplaces, enabling service providers to join, promote their services, and deliver real-time, multi-provider NaaS solutions to enterprise customers.

Afternoon Emcee: Ray Mota, ACG Research, Chief Executive Officer & Principal Analyst

Moderator: Roy Chua, AvidThink, Founder & Principal

• Irfan Ali, NVIDIA, Global Head of Edge AI Segment
• Murali Balakrishnan, Amdocs, Director, Business Innovation

This panel explores the transformative journey from AI to GenAI, delving into edge use cases across industries and opportunities in the telecom sector.

The Global Head of Edge AI Segment from NVIDIA will provide insight on the company’s AI strategy, the evolution of AI, and AI/GenAI implementations. He will dive into key drivers of deploying AI at the edge and explore a variety of AI edge use cases, including examples where AI enables real-time decision-making.

Our expert from Amdocs will share a perspective on how GenAI is impacting the telecom industry and highlight collaborative work in this space between the two companies.

• Ahmad Khalil, Tata Communications, AVP – Head of Programmable Networking & Technologies
• Jakub Niezgoda, Amartus, Technical Leader
• Yuta Yamagishi, NTT Communications, Solutions Architect

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Moderator: Erin Dunne, Vertical Systems Group, Director of Research

• Daniel Bar-Lev, MEF, Chief Product Officer
• Stan Hubbard, MEF, Principal Analyst
• Pascal Menezes, MEF, Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer
• Sunil Khandekar, MEF, Chief Enterprise Development Officer

Experts engaged in the NaaS ecosystem will explore the test and certification programs and other resources available to qualify service, technology, and cybersecurity partners in the evolving NaaS ecosystem. These programs and resources cover Carrier Ethernet, SD-WAN, SSE, Zero Trust, and SASE services and technologies as well as LSO APIs used between buy and sell partners in the automated ecosystem.

Moderator: Sean Buckley, Lightwave+BTR, Editor in Chief

Panel:

• Rosemary Cochran, Vertical Systems Group, Principal & Co-Founder
• Grant Lenahan, Appledore Research Group, Partner & Principal Analyst
• Ray Mota, ACG Research, Chief Executive Officer & Principal Analyst
• Charlie Reed, ATLANTIC-ACM, Partner

Top industry analysts will share their perspectives on the key takeaways from the GNE and what to look for next in terms of the evolving NaaS landscape.

• View demonstrations at innovation stations located throughout the main foyer at any time during the conference!
• Meet with customers at meeting tables and conduct business in private meeting rooms and suites.

Neil Danilowicz, MEF, Director of Test and Certification

MEF has announced the general availability of an innovative new MEF 3.0 SASE Certification Program for Service Providers. Learn about the program highlights, benefits, pricing, and process for service providers to achieve MEF 3.0 SASE Certification. The session will also include a Q&A.