Networking is a vital and necessary part of the modern business world, but much as in the real world, the road is not the reason. Networks exist to enable applications, and it’s these programs and systems that companies really want. Given this truth, when building a system, it doesn’t make sense to design apps around a network; rather, it’s much more useful to create a network that fits the programs a company runs. Open-source networking hardware allows a company to do just that.

To gain some insight into open-source networking, Jeff Frick, cohost of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, spoke to Calvin Chai, head of product marketing at Pica8, Inc., at the Open Networking Summit 2016 conference.

Closing the gap

The conversation started with a look at what open-source hardware does for networking. Chai said that for Pica8, Open Compute standards were all about the interface with the hardware. Open networking is about the applications, giving companies a way to customize their networking to meet the needs of the apps.

Making a change to a network, Chai said, takes much longer than changing an app. This creates a gap, he continued, between upgrading applications and the network. Open standards are closing that gap, while making communication between the applications and the network closer as well.

Intense integration

The degree of customization required for new apps is intense, Chai said. “We’ve moved from science projects to real production, but they aren’t cookie-cutter,” he stated. To build the infrastructure that supports that, a company needs dynamic networking components it can change on the fly.

Integration with legacy infrastructure is still a goal, though. Chai pointed out that businesses won’t want to throw away their infrastructure investment or give up their institutional knowledge. These advances must build on top and extend the capability of existing systems.

Watch the full interview below:

Photo by SiliconANGLE