Cybersecurity and supply chain essential for building tomorrow’s digital infrastructure

John M Lund Photography Inc / Getty Images

 

Connecting state and local government leaders

Investing in solution providers that can operate in a multivendor environment not only allows states and regions to select the combination of products and solutions that best fit their unique needs and budgets, but it also ensures they have more options to choose from in the face of supply chain issues.

Backed by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s $65 billion in funding for broadband expansion, state and local governments are eager to build out their networking infrastructure, and rightfully so. 

It’s a simple truth that for the country to progress, all communities must be given the tools, including connectivity, so residents can participate in and contribute to the economy, access telehealth and take advantage of remote learning regardless of their ZIP code, topography or population density.  And today,  most of rural America still lacks broadband access.

Still, a thoughtful planning phase is critical and complex – there is no one-size-fits-all solution for the unique needs and priorities of diverse locales, residents and economies. However, in all cases, conversations prioritizing cybersecurity and future proofing against supply chain issues are key.  

Getting these two areas right is foundational to realizing the current and long-term benefits of secure, reliable, affordable and available connectivity. 

Cybersecurity is critical to achieving equitable outcomes of broadband expansion

Proactive cybersecurity planning and budgeting is vital in getting ahead of a crisis. Breaches will happen – it’s not a matter of if, but when. Investing in cybersecurity upfront will go a long way in protecting critical infrastructure, aiding small service providers and telecom operators and protecting the people and organizations who rely on them. 

From designating jurisdictions and responsibilities and putting clear governance frameworks and processes in place to ensuring both physical and cybersecurity, there are many questions to answer. And as new systems are built, ensuring interoperability with old systems can’t be overlooked. Governments must make sure legacy infrastructure works with the new and ensure there are enough skilled, knowledgeable personnel to maintain the security of it all – after all, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. 

Collaboration can help lighten the burden. When selecting solution providers, governments must look for those that can operate in a multivendor environment. Working with several solutions providers helps mitigate risk and offers more agility to stay ahead of evolving risks.  It is well understood that heterogeneous networks, those consisting of solutions from multiple vendors, are better protected against single points of failure than homogeneous, or single vendor, networks. Having a multivendor environment as a goal also permits network operators and users to seek best-of-breed solutions from each provider instead of settling for one provider that merely is sufficient.

Budgeting and planning for cybersecurity upfront will pay off and should be a top priority even in the most modest of grants. It will also be up to Congress to allocate more funding toward cybersecurity in future broadband expansion planning. 

To ease supply chain issues – and improve affordability – multivendor environments are key

It’s no secret that the two-year-long supply chain crisis likely won’t be alleviated any time soon. A multivendor approach to supply chain issues will help broadband deployments roll out faster and more affordably – bringing connectivity to more Americans. It also gives states and regions more power to negotiate prices and greater flexibility as needs and circumstances shift.

Not only will multivendor environments allow regions to build best-of-breed networks that have security baked into their frameworks, but they can also help avoid the increasingly common supply chain pitfalls that come with being locked into a single vendor. 

Investing in solution providers that can operate in a multivendor environment not only allows states and regions to select the combination of products and solutions that best fit their unique needs and budgets, but it also ensures that there are more options to choose from in the face of supply chain issues. Materials needed to create fiber-optic cables, for example, are in high demand and short supply. Such cabling can be sourced from a variety of manufacturers. If a customer chooses only one networking vendor for its entire network, that vendor might be locked into a particular cable manufacturer and thus subject to its manufacturing and delivery timelines. Having multiple network vendors, though, can bring in alternative or backup cable suppliers and thus alleviate any sourcing problems. 

This open approach benefits communities and keeps regions competitive and innovative. A more competitive marketplace gives states and regions options for a tailored combination of solutions that can lower prices for end users.

More must be done

While the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is just a first step toward beginning to close the digital divide, it provides important opportunities for more states and regions to begin planning. Those who will be the most successful will integrate cybersecurity and supply chain solutions into those plans. 

Sampak Garg serves as associate general counsel and senior director at Juniper Networks. Garg is a legal professional with experience in analyzing and resolving strategic, legal, public policy and regulatory issues.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.