Eagle-Lanner tech blog

 

Enterprise networks are increasingly moving to cloud-based applications for distributed workflows among data centers and branch offices to support their remote and mobile workforce and users. While networks have advanced rapidly enough to support the workflows of these remote endpoints, the challenge becomes combining security with networking functions.

In the wake of global conflict and the pandemic, the shift to remote work has greatly increased, coupled with more data-driven organizations moving their operations to the cloud, which has escalated the risk of attacks and widened security threats. With constant security threats, confidential computing provides hardware-level security, confidentiality, and privacy for enterprises.

Private 5G networks are emerging as the connectivity technology of choice for enterprises seeking to implement the transformative applications that drive smart factories, power plants, and the internet of things (IoT). A private 5G network gives companies the ability to customize the network according to specific organizational needs and locations, securely, and on their timetable.

A RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) is a software-defined key element of the Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) architecture, responsible for optimizing RAN elements and customize RAN functionality at the edge. It manages and optimizes RAN resources to support interoperability across different hardware (RU, servers), and software (DU/CU) components, quick enablement of new services, and triggers near real-time action to improve overall network efficiency. RIC supports innovative use cases that can lower mobile operators’ total costs, enhance customer’s quality of experience (QoE), and quality of service (QoS) -- bringing intelligence, agility, and programmability to radio access networks.

A new report from Gartner forecasts that there will be more than 30.9B IoT devices worldwide by 2025. As this massive growth occurs, manufacturers are already quickly building IoTs for different industries, solutions, use-cases, etc. In turn, this excessive growth results in a complex and diverse IoT ecosystem. The IoT ecosystem is now a diverse set of rules and protocols guiding communication, ruggedness, I/O, firmware, storage, security, processing, and more.

The proliferation of IoT devices and solutions have opened up many opportunities and new use cases for consumers, private networks, industrial applications, and critical communications services. This massive increase in adoption and utilization of new technology will, at the same time, escalate security vulnerabilities. As security is always a continuous concern, there has been an increased focus on hardware-based security, which has shown solid capability in helping to secure devices, minimize risks, and protect digital assets.

5G network rollouts are speeding up globally and spectrums are being allocated to enterprises, allowing the rise of private 5G networks – a network that does not need to share traffic with other cellular networks in the vicinity. This can be a crucial turning point for enterprises, especially for manufacturers who require 5G capabilities to implement the digital transformative applications that drive smart factories, and the Internet of Things (IoT).