This is a crazy time for telco software vendors. Their customers are coming around to the fact that the shift to public cloud is inevitable, while also realizing that moving on-prem solutions to the cloud is like swapping out an airplane engine mid-flight. What to do?
In this latest installment of our Software Series, we talk with Andriy Zhylenko, CEO of PortaOne. The company sits in the crosshairs of this telecom dilemma. The industry needs a flight plan and PortaOne wants to get them to their destination.
Hit the play button to hear our conversation about:
- The balancing act of seeing the future and knowing how to get there, and trying to help customers come along on the journey [3:04];
- Why PortaOne chose Oracle to be its hyperscaler [5:37];
- The challenge of making big bet technical decisions as a software vendor while straddling two worlds [9:27]; and
- The risk and benefits of lowest common denominator solutions [11:38].
Listen to the end to get my thoughts on what people get wrong when they make big technical decisions [21:11].
THIS WEEK’S GUEST
Andriy Zhylenko is CEO of PortaOne, Inc., and was the company’s CTO for 17 years. He oversees development and support of the telco BSS product and leads the engineering team that works on the company’s “gradual software updates for telecom” framework. He guided PortaOne from start-up to becoming a telecom BSS vendor renowned for its “radical transparency” in providing its source code and unlimited licenses to customers. Before joining PortaOne, Andriy was a software development manager for Telenor (Czechia), giving him firsthand knowledge of the challenges of telco operations.
Listen to our conversation by clicking play above or subscribe through your favorite podcast feed.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
- Listen on your favorite podcast platform – see the links above under the audio player.
- You can find the transcript for this episode here.
Links and Resources
- Follow PortaOne on Twitter @PortaOne
- Check out the PortaOne website
- See how hard it is to switch airplane parts in mid-air when you watch this video from 1926 of Gladys Ingle replacing a tire – what PLUCK! When you’re done, head over to Twitter and add your dialogue to the silent clip in my Twitter thread.
- Check out Temporal, open source workflow builder
- Read the article from Spain’s El Espanol that suggests MWC21 is moved to the third trimester
- See my own informal Twitter poll about MWC – 2/3rds think it’s not going to happen!
- Stay up to date on the latest from GSMA about MWC 2021
Follow DR
- Have an idea for a Telco in 20 podcast guest or topic? Send it in!
- Want to sponsor a podcast? Let us know
- Sign up for the Telco in 20 email newsletter
- Follow Telco in 20 on Twitter @TelcoIn20
- Follow DR on Twitter @TelcoDR
If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review on your podcast feed? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!
Podcast Credits
- Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Royston, TelcoDR
- Executive Producer: Kristin Donelson, OneLouder Marketing
- Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
- Editor/Producer: Alisa Jenkins Wilson, Springboard Marketing
- Audio Editing: Andrew Condell
- Music: Dyami Wilson
More episodes from Telco in 20
Telco in 20: Episode 13 | Duration: 00:21:32
The Software Series: CSG
Jon Fagan, Senior Principal Cloud Architect at CSG, talks about what the billion-dollar company is doing with the public cloud.
Telco in 20: Episode 12 | Duration: 00:22:24
Monetizing 5G and IoT
Telcos are making huge investments in 5G. Will ROI follow? Pete Bernard, Senior Director of Azure Edge Devices, Platforms and Services, talks about how 5G, IoT, AI and the edge can work together to help monetize the network.
Telco in 20: Episode 11 | Duration: 00:25:22
The Software Series: Matrixx
MATRIXX Software CTO Marc Price talks 5G, designing for the public cloud, and why customizations will be the death of vendors AND telcos.
