Submitted by Kelsey Kusterer Ziser, the Editor of Upskill U at Light Reading.

In order to reap the full benefits that virtualization provides in greater network flexibility and reduced opex, service providers need a strong strategy for developing their big data and advanced analytics capabilities. These two components are critical in establishing a self-healing, self-managed network in the world of NFV and SDN.

Starting June 10, Light Reading and Cisco are launching a series on Big Data Analytics at Upskill U, a free online university providing must-have education on themes relating to the overall business transformation taking place in the communications industry. The first course in the four-part series on Big Data Analytics will examine the fundamental questions as to the role of big data and advanced analytics and explain what service providers need to be doing as they prepare for virtualized networks. Future courses will deep-dive into big data analytics through the lens of security, customer experience management and IoT.

Secure your seat for these exciting courses as Upskill U wraps up a series on Cloud Platforms & Services and launches the Big Data Analytics learning module:

• Ethernet & the Cloud (Friday, June 10, 1:00 p.m. ET): Chris McReynolds, Vice President, Cloud & Data Services, Level 3 Communications, will discuss how the rise of virtualization is creating new demand for network-as-a-service options that combine physical and virtual network elements flexibly, while also delivering on the quality promises for which Carrier Ethernet has become known.
• Assuring Security in a Cloud-Based NFVi (Monday, June 13, 1:00 p.m. ET): In this lecture, Patrick Donegan, Chief Analyst, Heavy Reading, covers ways of ensuring that security is preserved in the NFV environment and the security orchestration and other technologies needed for virtual networks.
• Analytics & Virtualization 101 (Wednesday, June 15, 1:00 p.m. ET): Sachin Katti, Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Stanford University, will examine the fundamental questions as to the role of big data and advanced analytics and explain what service providers need to be doing as they prepare for virtualized networks.
• Big Data Analytics & Network Security (Friday, June 17, 1:00 p.m. ET): In this lecture, Ray Watson, Vice President, Global Technology, Masergy, explains how analytics can be used to strengthen network and advanced threat protection capabilities, and automate threat intelligence to detect, analyze and remediate attacks. 

With the communications industry changing ever more rapidly, it's crucial for network engineers and enterprise decision-makers to reskill and stay relevant. In Cloudifying the Network on May 20, Upskill U guest lecturer Mary Stanhope, Vice President, Marketing, Global Capacity, said, "You are doing a great service with Upkill U and hopefully the listeners agree. It's a great source of information... I really encourage everyone to share it with other parties they know and work with because it's really exciting and thank you so much for setting it up." Tune in to Upskill U and stay ahead of the curve amidst industry-wide changes. Take a look at the rest of the exciting courses in Upskill's curriculum, and I'll see you on the chat boards: www.lightreading.com/upskillu.