In this video, Mitch Ashley (Futurum Research, The Futurum Group) and Scott Robohn (Solutional) walk through Nokia Bell Labs’ data center fabric reliability model and explain how operational discipline—rather than hardware alone—drives meaningful improvements in availability. The model quantifies how design choices, automation, and AI-driven operations can move organizations from a legacy operational baseline to a future mode of operation capable of exceeding five nines of availability.
The discussion focuses on where the largest reliability gains occur, particularly during configuration and provisioning, where automation and intent-based operations dramatically reduce human error. The speakers examine the roles of Nokia SR Linux, zero-touch provisioning, and Nokia Event-Driven Automation (EDA), including the impact of a true digital twin and dry-run validation. The video also highlights how programmatic telemetry and structured maintenance workflows reduce downtime during both day-to-day operations and planned maintenance. The core message: good design enables reliability, but disciplined, automated operations make it real every day.
You can find out more about the study here and read the executive summary here.