Folks,

Here in the US, we celebrated Independence Day this past (long) weekend (July 4th), and folks had a chance to take some time off with their friends and family.

Our family enjoyed a little retreat in the idyllic surroundings of Half-Moon Bay about an hour away from where we are in Silicon Valley, and as I sat on the beach, nibbling at a piece of Parmesan cheese from our fine state of Wisconsin, my mind drifted to thinking of the parallels between where I was and Carrier Ethernet – the concept, the technology, the industry, and this Group of ours :-).

First was the thought that Carrier Ethernet technology provides a service provider independence from legacy technologies, and liberates them from being tied to old service models, thus, unlocking new revenue and possibilities.

And, through the ebb and flow of the industry and the surf-like frothing of the global economic environment of the past several years, Carrier Ethernet technology has stayed, just like the sand on the beach, which takes the pounding of the waves but still remains right there … under your feet giving you solid ground to stand on.

In like fashion, the Carrier Ethernet industry has been steadfast in it’s ubuiquity and usefulness, and like the bright rays of sunshine has expanded into other key areas of networking — from the cloud to data center interconnect to 4G wireless to industrial communications to IoT to SDN & NFV.

Likewise, Independence Day (no matter of which nation) as a concept is, in my view, really a statement about solidarity: the oneness of a nation, of a group, or of a people, and a reflection of the quintessential “unity in diversity” – one people, even though individuated into it’s many citizens.

And, this concept is practically epitomized by our Group: over 7,700 professionals, from 2,236+ companies from over 121 nations across the globe! And all levels of involvement: from the engineer to the architect to the executive. From people with 2 years experience to those with well over 30 years in the industry!

About as diverse and independent a set of people as you can imagine, yet united in our interest in, and focus on, Carrier Ethernet technology, in our collective goal of keeping abreast of the latest in packet networking advancements, and in interacting with, contributing to, and learning from our colleagues and friends in this Group, in an environment of cooperation and camaraderie!

As I broke from my reverie, I smiled to myself, silently pleased at the little thought excursion I had been on … that I hope you’ll agree with. (And, I opened our picnic basket to reach for the guacamole, and the next piece of cheese … I felt I deserved it! :-))

Best,
-Vishal