MPLS+SDN+NFV World Congress 2017 was a great success this year.  I was extremely pleased with momentum in the area of Cisco's IOS XR Software Innovations supporting our customers network transformation use cases for Cloud-Scale Networking. In the pre-show blog I alluded to this conference as the place where the "software innovation rubber meets the road" and once again this conference did not disappoint!

Below is a picture of industry leaders from Bell Canada and Cisco discussing IPv6 Segment Routing use cases at the conference.  I share this picture to point out the type collaboration needed to move the industry forward.

Given the amount of quality real world experiences shared from leading customers and Cisco technologist, I could hardly wait for the session videos to be posted so I could share these resources widely with the rest of the industry.

Let me give you two examples of the "software innovation rubber hitting the road" at the conference.

First, it has been amazing to watch Segment Routing come to life over the past four (4) years at this conference.

Reflecting back to 2013 when I interviewed Clarence Filsfils, Cisco Fellow, we discussed Segment Routing when only a handful of people knew what this game changing software innovation would mean to providers around the globe. At the time, Clarence and team were beginning to develop Segment Routing use cases with distinguished engineers from lead customers and Segment Routing software innovations were written into Cisco IOS XR early first test code.

Fast forward to Clarence's presentation at this years conference; Segment Routing Deployment Experience and Technology Update;and you will see how collaboration between industry technology experts pays off in software development and actionable network transformation use cases.  Segment Routing software innovations are available and deployable in Cisco IOS XR software code and will anchor SDN-Ready Cloud-Scale Networks to deliver on the promise of simplification, automation and virtualization for operators around the globe.

In case you missed it, see this recent blog on Segment Routing Innovation which includes a link to an important presentation at MPLS Congress by Paul Matte's from Microsoft describing Segment Routing for Data Center Interconnect at Large Scale.  Check this blog out if you are interested in seeing another great example  Cisco IOS XR Software Innovations In Action!

Second, Central Office Transformation is Hot! Hot! Hot!

Take a look at this blog featuring a quote from Bell Canada's Daniel Voyer, Technical Fellow, on the importance of BGP MPLS-based EVPN.  In a nutshell, Simplification, Automation, and Virtualization are no longer marketing terms for our customers.  The Central Office Transformation use case takes advantage of Cisco IOS XR software innovations in the areas of Segment Routing and Ethernet VPN (EVPN) to simplify networks and transform central offices into data centers at leading customers.  The Central Office Transformation use case is  great example ofCisco IOS XR Software Innovations In Action! 

To learn about Cisco IOS XR Software innovation and Central Office Transformation  see the following resources:

Presentation on Central Office Transformation byDaniel Voyer, Technical Fellow, Bell Canada

Presentation on Ethernet VPN (EVPN) by Patrice Brissette, Distinguished Engineer, Cisco

Finally, if it is not obvious at this point - MPLS+SDN+NFV World Congress in Paris is the place to be if you are on the tip of the spear of network transformation and want to seesoftware innovation in action. I could present a customer story with each Cisco presentation at the conference because as I like to say,"We Transform Networks Together". Instead, I'll leave you with the above customer examples and some homework:

1. Watch the suggested videos from MPLS WC 2017.
2. Block your agenda for MPLS+SDN+NFV World Congress 2018 -April 10-13, 2018 at the Paris Marriott, Rive Gauche.
3. Get involved by bringing your use cases forward at conferences like MPLS World Congress or via the IETF.
4. Pick-up a copy of Segment Routing Part 1 and learn how to implement this game changing IOS XR software innovation in your network.

We'd love to partner with anyone who is interested in participating in the development of software innovations to transform and shape the networks of the future!  We hope to see you in Paris at MPLS World Congress in April 2018!