PTC’21 marked my 23rd PTC Annual Conference. This past January, I had the honor of moderating a session on networks and data centers featuring my esteemed colleagues: Sureel Choksi, president & CEO, Vantage Data Centers; Yali Liu, executive vice president, Chayora Holdings Limited in Hong Kong; Ravindran Mahalingam, SVP – international business, HGC Global Communications Limited in Hong Kong; and Raul Martynek, chief executive officer, DataBank.

Our conversation centered on the industry challenges associated with the 5G rollout, a deluge of data, as well as the rise of the public cloud and automation. We discussed the rollout of new technologies and their effect on the data centers and connectivity ecosystem. Notable points included:

• The right connectivity is necessary for data centers and networks to deal with the growing data surge.
• Making existing fiber networks visible to the data center community is essential by creating the right service platform and activation strategy.
• We must allow users to determine their bandwidth and individual experience.
• It is critical to improve strategies on how fiber can interconnect to form an interoperational environment that functions independently.
• By building new fiber networks and bringing them back to Tier-1 cities, data can better serve emerging markets.
• Carrier neutrality around the globe is essential.
• Public cloud adoption is popular in the U.S. and South America, and growing in Europe. Hyperscalers are encountering difficulties keeping up with demand.
• Continual consumption of technology and the emergence of new technologies such as machine learning and data analytics drive the need for more data center space around the world.

To close the session, the group revealed their 2021 challenges:

• Supporting customers around a wider geography who require more scale.
• Running businesses and serving clients with continued COVID-19 restrictions.
• Distractions are everywhere – how do we remain focused?
• It is difficult building a cohesive team and company culture in a remote work environment.
• Virtual meetings cannot replace face-to-face meetings in international business.

Watch the entire panel discussion on PTC-TV.