Platform migration: Navigating end-of-life scenarios after layoffs at Microsoft’s Metaswitch

Replacing a platform within the core network of a telco is like replacing parts inside an engine while keeping the engine running. The smallest oversight can cause catastrophic results.

Reports of Microsoft’s Metaswitch layoffs are a big worry for operators. The news signals a possible platform end-of-life scenario, and operators have questions, but are they getting the answers they need?

According to some reports, Microsoft is offering continuing support for customers and partners, while reinvesting in AI and other areas. However, operators are stranded, and many will be considering a platform migration.

What’s behind Microsoft’s move?

The telecommunications sector characteristically, moves slowly. Operators are under strict regulations to ensure products will work as required. So, huge market-wide moves to new platforms are rare.

It’s not clear why Microsoft might be choosing to lay off so many staff in this area. One possibility is that the company underestimated the pragmatism of network operators.

Additionally, there is a reported slowdown in telecoms network spending. As a result, Microsoft likely hasn’t seen the rapid returns it wanted.

We must speculate that without staff new products won’t be emerging, and that support will be discontinued at some point. It’s merely a matter of time before operators see the affected platforms going end-of-life, necessitating a move to a different platform.

What to do when a platform end-of-life scenario occurs

Telecoms network failures can be disastrous. So, it’s best to replace components before they fail. Having a complete understanding of your network and its components will help you to anticipate when it’s time to migrate.

Whether done piecemeal or all in one go, here is a simple guide for an efficient telecommunications platform migration.

Conception

Assessment and team building – Assess if you need a migration. Platform end-of-life scenarios are just one reason you might choose to migrate. Consumer demands, new technologies, performance problems, cost savings, sales opportunities, contract conclusions, support issues, and mergers and acquisitions are all reasons to consider a new platform.

Assemble a team to conduct the migration. You will need people to:

Appraise your current network composition and requirements
Conduct procurement
Carry out the migration
Complete risk assessments
Project manage
Budget
Oversee training
Conduct system testing
Liaise with third-party suppliers.

Objective setting and planning – All stakeholders should be clear on the objectives of the migration, which will help to establish impacts on network components. Once this is understood, conduct a risk assessment, establish a timeline, agree on a budget, and decide on a means of communicating progress and issues.

It’s also wise to decide early on, what to do with your old platform. In the case of a Metaswitch SBC, you might want to decommission it. However, in other cases, you may need to maintain your legacy platform.

Platform selection – Choosing a new platform should also be part of this stage. You can assess alternative platforms by considering synergy, security, scalability, and cost.

Synergy – Synergy isn’t just about the platform supporting your existing network features. It’s also about having a positive working relationship with the platform provider. This is essential in a multi-vendor network to have good relationships as this will aid the integration of new network components and features.

Security – ‘Shifting security left’ refers to the early prioritisation of security. In the past, security was an afterthought. Today, it is critical to success. Determining the security of a platform can be tricky. As a starting point, check the supplier has well-recognised, cybersecurity standards and quality accreditation.

Scalability – Being able to scale your platform up to market needs is essential. The platform should also have the flexibility to integrate with future technologies.

Cost – There are hidden costs and then there are unexpected costs. Operators can often succumb to the pitfall of big vendors’ bundle offers. While initially cost-effective, big vendors demand high prices for additional features. Focused vendors usually integrate those features easily and at a lower cost.

Important: The cheapest options are rarely the best. Ensuring you don’t get vendor lock-in is essential for cost-efficient and flexible networks that can adapt to market trends.

Some other factors you might want to consider are service level agreements and reliability, customer service and support. Assessing the provider’s product range can also be beneficial in determining future network integrations.

Enjoy smooth migration from Metaswitch products to fully-supported, future-ready solutions from Squire Technologies.

Pre-migration

Network analysis and backing-up – Establish a detailed understanding of your network, the parts, workflows, and configurations. Before you begin the migration, make sure you back-up everything. It’s standard practice, but easily overlooked if someone is in a rush.

Important: Document everything so you can rapidly determine where problems occur. If something goes wrong, you want to be able to find issues quickly rather than restarting the process.

Data extraction, cleaning and validation – Depending on the process you use, you might want to extract a small amount of data from your current platform to conduct a pilot test or you may choose to do it all at once. In either case, this is when you want to clean and validate data. Removing data errors is essential for optimising network performance.

Data import and platform configuration – Next you need to import the data into the new platform and verify its integrity, before starting configuration. At this point, you need to be clear on your project objectives, as configuration will:

Facilitate efficient data flows
Improve throughput and reduce latency
Enable easier scaling, upgrading, and maintenance
Minimise the risks of cyberattacks.

So, accurate system integration and customisation are important.

Testing and validation – Use a detailed plan of your network to improve the efficiency of testing. Ensure that all systems operate accurately and to the expected standard to validate the platform in readiness for the migration.

Post-migration preparation – Start administrator and end-user training early, if you can. Establish a support facility and create technical and support documentation.

Migration

It’s best to schedule your platform migration to take place at a time that will cause the least impact to stakeholders and systems.

If you’ve stuck to your plan, all you should need to do is notify stakeholders when the migration is taking place and then carry it out. Pay close attention while it takes place, problem-solving as you go.

Post-migration

Following the conclusion of the migration, it’s good to do a review. Check everything works, fix issues, and tweak things for optimal performance.

It’s also time to establish maintenance or decommissioning of your old platform. Will a decommissioning be a simple switch flip, an angry letter to the provider, or a Viking burial? There are lots of options depending on how well your old platform performed. It’ll be interesting to see how operators end their Metaswitch migrations.

Why choose Squire Technologies for your migration?

Multi-generation networks can be complicated to migrate. Customers trust Squire Technologies for their effective products and smooth migrations.

Operators might want to consider using an Interworking Function during a migration. This solution has been used in multiple migration projects by Squire Technologies. It harmonises protocol conversion and ensures accurate routing, minimising the risk of lost revenue.

Additionally, if planning a move from Metaswitch, operators should consider Squire Technologies’ forwards and backwards compatible platforms. Sigla, unifies all mediation, routing and interworking, security and measurement between multi-generation networks, reducing network complexity and operating costs.

“Any migration to the next big thing needs to seamlessly integrate from day one with today’s revenue-generating services. We needed a product and a team that could ensure exactly this, and we found it with Squire Technologies Interworking Function and their excellent commissioning and support teams.”

Sure International | Mobile Network Operator | Guernsey, Europe

For more information about Squire Technologies’ products, visit www.squire-technologies.com

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