Interop 2016 Highlights the Evolution of Network Infrastructure

The long running conference highlights a transformation in interoperability and network infrastructure.

A core element of Interop has long been network hardware infrastructure. Over the last few years in particular, it’s a market that has been disrupted by new trends such as network-functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN). In a keynote address at Interop, Andreessen Horowitz Venture Capitalist Martin Casado outlined his view on where the opportunity lies in the new world of infrastructure.

One area that has disrupted networking in recent years is SDN. In one session at Interop, analyst firm IDC said the SDN market is forecast to generate $12.5 billion in revenue by 2020.

When Interop started 30 years ago, pervasive WiFi didn’t exist. In 2016, the show has officially dropped support for the first broadly support WiFi standard 802.11b.

A highlight of any Interop conference is the show flow, where vendors demonstrate and pitch their respective technology. At the 2016 event, Cisco once again took up prime real estate on the exhibit floor.

VMware showed off its NSX network virtualization technology in its booth along with energy pods to help attendees relax.

As security threats grow, so too has the need to have insurance to help mitigate financial losses. As such, Advisen is now forecasting the cyber-insurance market to grow to $5 billion in premiums by 2020.

In a keynote address, Amin Vahdat, networking technical lead at Google, detailed the Web giant’s networking structure, including its own Andromeda NFV platform.

A lot of things have happened in the technology world over the 30 years that Interop has existed that were highlighted by the conference with graphic displays.

One area of technology and culture that has changed in recent years is the increasing level of technology found in sports facilities. In a keynote address at Interop, Matt Eclavea, vice president of technology for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, discussed how his firm’s new arena is making use of the latest technology innovations.

On the show floor, the NBASE-T Alliance demonstrated multivendor interoperability for the new 2.5G-bps and 5G-bps Ethernet standards that enable faster speeds over existing copper cables.

Interop will be moving from the Mandalay Bay to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the 2017 event.