Local Area Network (LAN) Design Done Right

What is “right” for your organization as it adopts new IP and IoT endpoints?

John Croce – CEO, NVT Phybridge

3 minute read time

What does “right” mean when it comes to LAN design? Webster’s Dictionary defines right as “being or following what is just, good or proper.” This definition has conflict when it comes to LAN design. What is just or good for you may, at the same time, not be considered proper by you. Confused? Let me explain.

Whenever new disruptive technologies or processes are introduced ( for example, emails to share documents versus fax machines), some may resist the change – believing it is not “proper” because the standard way, as per company policy, is to send documents by fax. As CBC’s Thomas Daigle explains, the Province of Ontario is only now moving away from fax machines as a communication method in the healthcare sector. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inefficiencies of maintaining dated methodologies to resolve modern problems.

Proper. When I hear this word, I think of Albert Einstein’s quote, “never let your education get in the way of your learning.” What we perceive as proper (often the best practices established based on past education/experiences) will often cause us to resist learning about new technologies or innovative ways to support better outcomes. Additionally, some industry players (like the manufacturers of fax machines) will stifle innovation to prevent their products/services from becoming obsolete, often reinforcing existing and outdated methods as “the right way.”

This brings up the question; what is the right way? What is right is dependent on perspective and motivation. At NVT Phybridge, our mission is to help organizations optimize their IoT modernization the “right way.” We view what is right from the end user’s perspective. We also want to ensure we support the right way for those who serve the end-user, our valued system integrators, and manufacturing partners.

What is the right LAN design for the end-user for enabling IP and the Internet of Things? We asked customers what they would see as just and good, and this is what they told us:

• A LAN design that ensures network security and minimizes potential cyber-attacks.
• A LAN design that ensures a robust network for all endpoints.
• A LAN design that never compromises the core business. For example, a casino’s network was hacked through an IoT fish tank sensor.
• A non-disruptive and risk-free way to test and implement IP endpoints and applications in their business.
• A LAN design that improves ROI by allocating budget away from infrastructure and towards devices and applications.
• A LAN design that reduces network complexity and day two costs.
• A LAN design that is flexible and will support future growth requirements
• A LAN design that does not put undue stress on IT and application teams, given the ever-changing characteristics of a business network.

If you start from the outcomes that customers define as right, you will quickly conclude that the traditional approach of ripping and replacing infrastructure is wrong. It is like using fax machines to share documents. Of course, it works. But it is slow, inefficient, and outdated.

So why is ripping and replacing existing infrastructure the wrong way? Consider an organization that wants to modernize its communication or security systems with IP devices. They are advised that the proper way is to rip-and-replace the existing infrastructure that has proven reliable for many years and is paid for. These organizations will need new cabling and new switches and address new IDF closet requirements, all while layering the new devices on the same network managing the core business. Remember the fish tank story? This is not the right way, as this method leads to:

• Accepting risk and disruption.
• Compromising security and making security management more complex and costly.
• Spending more than is required on the network to support IP and IoT devices.
• Higher day two management costs.

Albert Einstein also said, “you can’t solve a problem with the same kind of thinking that created the problem.” The root cause of the problem is that traditional network switches have reach and cable type limitations, and all the attempted fixes were from this limiting paradigm. It doesn’t have to be that way if you are willing to learn about innovation and not allow your education to keep you thinking about what is proper versus what is just and good for you and your organization.

Modern LAN principles and NVT Phybridge PoE Innovations help organizations avoid all the wrongs associated with removing and replacing existing infrastructure, creating a robust and secure LAN design for IP and IoT solutions. The most powerful federal agency in the world, the leader in space research, and thousands of other organizations have levered these innovations to create better IP modernization outcomes. We want to do the same for you by offering you a no-obligation proof of concept trial. For NVT Phybridge, the best customer IP modernization outcome is what defines right, and fighting a deep routed paradigm of what is considered proper (rip-and-replace) is worth fighting for. Let us fight for you.

If you have an upcoming IP/IoT modernization project, we would love to help! Click below to book a one-on-one meeting with one of our Digital Transformation Consultants.

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The Centuries-Old Secret to Effective Management

Arvind David – Vice President, Digital Experience

3-minute read time

Originally Posted By Arvind David on LinkedIn

From a very young age, the armed forces fascinated me. Most of my father’s side had done their service, and I was very eager to continue the same tradition. It would have been my chosen career path without my father discouraging me from it due to bad experiences.

My uncle guided me down the path of technology. Even then, I dreamt of maybe being an engineer in the armed forces as family members went down that path. However, it wasn’t meant to be.

Even though he discouraged me from joining the armed forces, my dad would bring his military friends to our house to share their lessons. These lessons played a massive part in molding me as an employee and an employer. The importance of being a team player and being prepared were drilled into me every single day.

I would wake up to the phrase “Aaj Muqabla Hoga,” which means “today there will be war.” This simple phrase means that you step out of bed, ready to face anything and everything the world may throw at you today, both good and bad. I was always taught to wake up and make my bed. I was constantly urged to try and beat my alarm clock as it gives you the sense of a small victory to begin the day. When you come back home after a tiresome day, there will be a well-made bed to welcome you, and that in itself is a certain solace. I urge you all to try it every day and feel the difference.

My dad taught me a few things when I decided to quit my comfortable corporate job and venture into the dark and murky world of entrepreneurship (if anyone tells you that entrepreneurship is all rainbows and unicorns, they are lying, or they took over a well-run family business). Based on my readings and internet research, I came across a leadership framework created by the Indian Armed Forces called the “Z-Kitbag” (Capt. Raghu Raman of the Indian Armed Forces does a fantastic Ted Talk on this).

Following this simple framework helped me set up my first company. Now, as I settle into this new leadership role in a new industry, I try to implement these lessons here as well.

As we step into the new year, I hope these lessons can help you as they helped me. This is going to be a bit of a read. But trust me, it’s worth the time!

You may be wondering, “why do I need battlefield principles in the corporate world” a valid question. Whether on the battlefield or in a boardroom, leadership is the thin line between success and failure. The armed forces leadership is one where you cannot afford mistakes because, unlike the mistakes we make in the boardroom, they have no second chances. Their mistakes come home in body bags and are not just a line on a graph we show to shareholders.

Military commanders use the Z-Kitbag framework at all levels to develop plans and brief their teams. It has been refined over thousands of years and has stood the test of time. Let’s dive into the meaning of the acronym “Z-Kitbag.”

Z is for Zamini Nishan, which is a scan of the environment. In battle, it is essential to understand the landscape in which you are fighting. Every single soldier needs to be aware of the battlefield’s characteristics and boundaries. Like soldiers, business leaders, and the “troops” they lead, all need to understand the business landscape and the barriers they may face.

K is for Khabar, which means intelligence. In battle, this means completely understanding your enemy, including strengths, weaknesses, and even their culture. Good leaders also understand the capabilities of their own Army. This kind of intelligence comes from various sources, such as competitive analysis or SWOT analysis in a business context. Good business leaders make decisions by turning information into knowledge.

I is for Irada, which is the strategic intent. Every mission, operation, or battle should have a clearly defined objective that should be measurable and met within a specific time frame. My father used to say that information from the top was communicated to every last soldier within 18 minutes in the Army. Military leaders need to determine what information must be passed down to the next level to ensure the directions are clear, complete, and achievable. Any miscommunication can be the difference between life and death.

In the corporate world, we clearly define our purpose and objective in vision and mission statements. Within robust organizations, every single employee can recite the mission statement, and every employee works towards this goal within their defined job parameters. Employees are performing different tasks, depending on their role. Still, all tasks work in coordination to achieve the same, singular objective of the organization. We, as leaders, must also foster a culture of accountability and responsibility. In other terms, employees must be able to assume orders in the absence of orders based on the singular purpose of the organization.

T is for Tariqa, which is the strategy used to achieve the clearly defined objective. These strategies are incredibly detailed to avoid discrepancies or confusion. Plans are also clearly defined and include the who, what, where, when, why, and how to accomplish the mission. In business, we strategize and create detailed action plans that include the same 5’Ws, as stated above. Additionally, we set SMART goals (simple, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based).

B is for Bandobast, which is the resources and structure. In the military, this refers to the planning and execution of missions. Where and when do we infiltrate? When the task is complete, where is the rendezvous point? What constitutes a success or a failure? In business, we plan campaigns and initiatives rather than missions. We ideate, plan, execute and measure the effectiveness of our efforts and resources. We create contingency plans to address unforeseen results.

A is for Administration and logistics. This may refer to how much ammunition is needed, what vehicles are required, or how the soldiers prepare. In business, we analyze the past and forecast the future to determine resource needs and timelines. This can be considered adequate enterprise resource planning and supply chain management.

Lastly, G is for Ghari Milao, which means synchronization. In military operations, all watches must be synchronized with the commander’s clock. Even the slightest time discrepancy can undo years of planning and coordination. The lesson here is aligning all efforts within the organization. It is essential to be clear and concise. Any non-binary communication presents an opportunity for ambiguity and misunderstandings – which is not something you need from your troops on the battlefield.

The Z-Kitbag tool is several centuries old and has stood the test of time. As you plan for 2020, I urge you to consider what lessons you can incorporate into your business or role.

Creating a Win-Win for All

Arvind David – Vice President, Digital Experience

3-minute read time

Originally Posted By Arvind David on LinkedIn

When satellite television reached India, and my parents were finally able to afford a connection, I became fascinated with talk shows. We didn’t get many talk shows on our local television channels. I was able to watch a few boring interviews here and there, but nothing like Oprah Winfrey was doing in the United States.

Over the years, I have become a big fan of many talk show hosts and still diligently follow their shows. One particular event from the Oprah Winfrey show in 2010 is something I will never forget. I’m sure many of you know what I’m referring to, it was the show where Oprah gave everyone in the audience a car. “You get a car, and you get a car… everyone is a winner!” I will not easily forget these words.

This became the seed that would lead me into a path of questioning how marketing works! It looks like such a magnificent gesture on the outset. However, dive deeper, and you will see a win-win situation for all involved. The audience, the talk show host, and the sponsors all stand to gain something from this. No matter how much this moment tugged on your heartstrings, it’s important to understand that every player stood to gain something.

This event shaped my career path. The lessons I learned that day would stay with me and influence many decisions I would make in my career. I realized that there were never any arguments with partners, colleagues, or clients. There were only negotiations. If I could negotiate the best result for everyone involved, that was a win-win.

As I had mentioned in a previous article, I am a highly functional laggard, and now many of my life decisions are influenced by the term “win-win.” I chose the jobs in which I knew the product was a good fit for the customers. I refused jobs in which I knew were not the best solution I could sell. If I was not able to convince myself about the value of a product, I knew I would never be able to convince someone else to buy it. I have had friends call me out on this, saying I dodged challenges, but I call it the path of least resistance!

A few days ago, I heard from a colleague about this beautiful concept, which creates a win-win situation for everyone involved in an industry that I never thought to be possible. The lotteries! The zip code lottery that is run by the Dutch is a novel concept. I am not going to delve deep into the details, you can read this article to know more. They have worked to create a system that benefits all participants, even charity organizations. You may point out that there are still losers in this. Fair, but compared to other lotteries, the losers know that they have contributed to some charity. Maybe you don’t win money, but at least you’ve earned some good karma points (if you believe in that stuff)! If you still want to argue that this is not a real win-win situation, I welcome your comments. I am always open to new perspectives, and please remember when you comment, it is never an argument; it’s a negotiation!

As an organization, we always work towards creating a win-win scenario in everything we do. Oliver Emmanuel and John Croce, the founders of our organizations, always believed our products were best for partners and customers in every possible way. It is the most efficient and cost-effective solution. If you have a digital transformation project, we can help you reduce infrastructure costs so you can buy a car, more IP applications, or more devices – however, you want to spend the savings!

Together with our partners, we have helped customers collectively save over $200 million in infrastructure costs. Our partners have accelerated over $500 million in total revenue while allocating more of the customer’s budget to better IP endpoints and applications. If this is not a win-win in our industry, I don’t know what is!

If you have an upcoming IP/IoT modernization project, we would love to help! Click below to book a one-on-one meeting with one of our Digital Transformation Consultants.

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Begin!

Arvind David – Vice President, Digital Experience

3-minute read time

Originally Posted By Arvind David on LinkedIn

Take a moment and think about the biggest challenge you have faced in your life. Did you conquer it, or did it conquer you? There was one small thing that separated you from either victory or failure – that small thing was the first step!

99% of ideas are never seen by the world because the risk was not taken to try something new; something that went against the grain. It is better to have tried and lost than never to have tried at all. I remember drinking at an abandoned graveyard with a friend of mine in college (don’t judge me, we have all done crazy things we regret), and in the wisdom that only two doubles of whiskey can offer, he said:

“In each and every grave here lies buried a great idea which never saw the light of day, and it’s all because they had other commitments that drove them to the grave first.”

I remember laughing at his comment that day. But now I think more and more about how many times we have regretted not trying something new because it did not fall within the norms of what we were taught was correct. How many times have we let our education prevent our knowledge growth? As I grew in my career, it also aligned with the toppling of giants who refused to begin their journey of change or acceptance to new technologies because the old ways were correct. Case-in-point, KODAK!

Change is the only constant in life. The beauty of change is that it will always catch you off guard; will always sneak up on you. I’m not saying that you have to embrace each and every new concept that comes your way. That is not humanly possible. All I’m saying is that we should begin to accept that there may be a better way to do something and we should always be open to new ideas.

We offer a new way of thinking in terms of your network design and creating a simple, robust, and reliable IT backbone for your smart devices. Why not begin today by learning about a new way? Whether it is the right way or the wrong way, I leave it up to you to decide. Still, over 1,000 organizations have collectively saved over $100 million by applying this new idea!

It’s time to BEGIN…

If you’re reading this, you’ve made it to the end of my article. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy day. I leave you all with a fitting quote from Jack Welsh to think about as you start this week…

“If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.”

If you have an upcoming IP/IoT modernization project, we would love to help! Click below to book a one-on-one meeting with one of our Digital Transformation Consultants.

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