Agenda

Emcee: Toni Eid, Telecom Review Group, Founder

Review progress in the LSO Automation space over the last year and get highlights from the LSO Automation Summit agenda.

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.

Moderator: Roy Chua, AvidThink, Founder & Principal

Panel:

• 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: Steve Thomas, Frost & Sullivan, Senior Industry Director

Panel:

• April Taylor, Sage, Senior Vice President of Blockchain

Leading service and technology providers discuss how important the ability to interoperate between blockchain-based solutions at different parts of the business lifecycle is for the future of telecom business automation.

As an example, they highlight the new MEF-Sage service for automated SLA reporting.

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.

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

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.

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

Panel:

• Michael Kearns, Amartus, Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer
• Rinoy Varkey, IdeaHelix, Customer Success 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.

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.

Daniel Bar-Lev, MEF, Chief Product Officer

Kevin Vachon, MEF, Chief Operating Officer

Morning Emcee: Sal Salamone, Network Computing, Managing Editor

Nan Chen, MEF, Chief Executive 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.

Moderator: Sunil Khandekar, MEF, Chief Enterprise Development Officer

Panel:

• Nabil Bitar, Bloomberg LP, CTO Office, Head of Network Architecture
• Mark Looker, Morgan Stanley, Managing Director and Head of Voice & Data Network Service
• Raleigh Mann, Williams Sonoma, Senior Vice President, Technology
• Neal Secher, TD Bank, Vice President, Head of Network Services

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.

Catch a preview of NaaS Accelerator Hot Mongoose in action!

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!

• Will Eborall, AT&T Business, Assistant Vice President of Edge Solutions Product Management
• Senthil Ramakrishnan, AT&T, Assistant Vice President of Cybersecurity Technology

Moderator: Roy Chua, AvidThink, Founder & Principal

Panel:

• Buddy Bayer, Colt Technology Services, Chief Operating Officer
• Usman Javaid, Orange Business, Chief Products & Marketing Officer
• Daniele Mancuso, Sparkle, Chief Marketing & Product Management
• Equinix

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.

Moderator: Stan Hubbard, MEF, Principal Analyst

Panel:

• Francisco Artes, Roku, Vice President, Product & Enterprise Security
• Joseph Blankenship, Forrester Research, Vice President, Research Director
• Comcast Business

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.

Catch a preview of NaaS Accelerator Silent Comet in action!

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!

Jeremy Villalobos, Orchest Technologies, Chief Executive Officer

Moderator: Mauricio Sanchez, Dell’Oro Group, Senior Director, Enterprise Networking & Security Market Research

Panel:

• CyberRatings.org

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.

Panel:

• Jeremy Villalobos, Orchest Technologies, Chief Executive Officer

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. These include 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.

Moderator: Siân Morgan, Dell’Oro Group, Research Director

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 for 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.

• 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.

Join us at the NaaS Excellence Awards Gala Dinner for an evening not to be missed!

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

Kevin Vachon, MEF, Chief Operating Officer

Morning Emcee: Matt Palmer, SDxCentral, Chief Executive Officer

Moderator:  Matt Palmer, SDxCentral, Chief Executive Officer

Panel:

• 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.

Paul Gampe, Console Connect, Chief Technology Officer

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.

Michael Kearns, Amartus, Chief Strategy Officer

Moderator:  Jitesh Bhayani, IDC, Research Vice President

Panel:

• Michael Kearns, Amartus, Chief Strategy Officer
• Cisco

Service providers are striving to empower customers with innovative solutions that meet a range of connectivity, cloud access, application performance, visibility, control, and cybersecurity requirements in hybrid cloud, multi-cloud, and work-from-anywhere environments. Panelists will explore prominent NaaS use cases and the latest service bundling trends related to on-demand Carrier Ethernet and Internet access, SD-WAN, SASE, multi-cloud connectivity, and more.

• Lumen

Moderator: Greg Bryan, TeleGeography, Senior Manager, Enterprise Research

Industry experts will explore how NaaS creates opportunities for players within the automated ecosystem to turn networks into platforms for innovation.

Among other topics, panelists will discuss the transformative impact of enabling enterprise software developers, enterprise applications, and enterprise systems to directly interact with service provider networks via standardized APIs that integrate into application business logic.

Shelly Lazzaro, AT&T Technology Services, Vice President of AT&T Business Technology

ServiceNow

Moderator: Rob Schult, TeleGeography, Research Director

Panel:

• John Nolan, Sage Management, Chief Executive Officer
• Abhi Sur, Salesforce, Senior Director of Product Management, Communications Industry
• ServiceNow

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.

We will discuss how AI-driven operations enhance network performance, predictive maintenance, and automated troubleshooting.

Learn about the integration of AI with network automation tools to streamline management, improve reliability, and reduce operational costs.

Experts will share real-world examples and best practices for deploying AIOps and automating network tasks, driving efficiency, and enabling proactive network management in dynamic environments.

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

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.

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.

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

• 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.