Aptira joins the Linux Foundation Networking Project

The big news today is that the Linux Foundation has launched its Linux Foundation Networking (LFN) project that brings together several of its network-oriented projects like ONAP, ODL and OPNFV into one governance unit. This increases efficiency, fosters project synergies, accelerates adoption and dramatically increases the level of funding into the associated communities. 

Aptira is pleased to announce that we have signed on as a Gold Sponsor of the Linux Foundation Networking project. 

What does this mean for Aptira? 

For several years a chunk of Aptira’s business has been driven by the Telecommunications sector. Our years of OpenStack expertise have been shaped by the need to have OpenStack meet the standard of Telco grade, so we’ve never been afraid to say “no” where there was any doubt when something didn’t meet that grade. We probably lost a bit of work with that positioning but what we gained was far more valuable. Now widely regarded as a “Trusted Advisor” to our customers, we are very fortunate to lead some fantastic cutting edge and transformative projects. As the old saying goes, we’ve done this by teaching our customers to fish, rather than handing them a fish. 

At the front of this cutting-edge Telco work came the ONAP project. It quickly became obvious that the skill set our team had developed in OpenStack and the technologies that surround it were well suited to us very quickly making ONAP something we could confidently call ourselves proficient in. 

Why the Linux Foundation Networking project? 

In 2013 Aptira became a Gold Member Sponsor of the OpenStack Foundation. It took a huge effort back then for us to meet the criteria to achieve that Gold status and since then we did our best to provide our unique vendor independent and operations focused voice to the community. With the LNF, we find ourselves once again able to provide an Ops focused independent voice. We also have the same excitement about it as when we dived into the OpenStack Foundation! As we did with OpenStack, we bring regional, scale and organisational diversity to LFN, and diversity will undoubtedly benefit the organisation and the projects within. 

But what about OpenStack? 

In short, we remain fully committed to OpenStack. OpenStack has been a strong part of our business and will be in the future and we’ve enjoyed playing a part in its governance. We feel it’s now time to pass on the governance baton and make way for the next iteration of its lifecycle.  With the Sydney Summit last November our years of organising the community here in Australia reached a climax too. Jessica, Kavit, Roland and myself have all had some fun on the Board, and with all 24 Gold spots full we felt it was time to make way for someone else to get their Gold badge. 

Most importantly, we see ONAP as very complementary to OpenStack and our team will most certainly keep participating in OpenStack in the community and technically. We will still be holding events like our recent OpenStack Days in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra with the next one coming up in June, and OpenStack will be a part of that. Our pragmatic approach to OpenStack has seen us outmanoeuvre and outlast many other organisations, and we are confident of maintaining our leading position in APAC and continuing to grow our OpenStack business. 

The Future 

We’re excited about what 2018 brings both immediately and beyond. Working with technologies and communities we know well will allow us to offer customers the trusted counsel and technical expertise we’re known for, and we’re particularly excited to be joining our awesome friends like Cloudify, Inocybe and SUSE founding the LNF. We look forward to seeing you at the various events we’ll be attending and hosting this year, and we encourage you to get in touch with any projects, or with any queries about the above.