Huawei Says Connectivity As Important As Air And Water, Elevates Role Of CIO

Huawei Enterprise CEO William Xu has declared connectivity to be the “most fundamental need of humanity” which had resulted in CIOs becoming just as important to businesses as the CEO or CFO.

Speaking at Huawei Network Congress (HNC) 2014 in Beijing, Xu said the world had never been so connected thanks to faster speeds, ubiquitous coverage, stronger security and better accessibility to services.

“This connection has become the basic requirement of human beings. We are not able to work or live without the network,” he added. “Connectivity is becoming a necessity, just like air and water. It will surround every corner of our lives.”

Huawei connectivity

However, Xu warned that businesses must continue to adapt if they are unable to innovate through connectivity. It is expected that by 2025, the number of mobile broadband connections will have grown to 8.5 billion, while M2M connections will have reached 100 billion. Xu said this had elevated the role of the CIO as connectivity becomes just as important as land, labour and capital to the enterprise.

Of course, Huawei believes its software-defined Agile Network can help businesses respond to changing needs by emphasising the user experience over traditional measurements such as technology. At HNC, the firm showed off the latest additions to the platform, Agile Branch and Cloud Connect, and declared that all networks and businesses must eventually be made agile.

Agile Network has been used to create nearly 200 networks since it launched last year, and Huawei claims the technology has significantly improved the efficiency and reduced the time of service deployment in the public sector, as well as the financial, healthcare, transport, education and media industries.

“Globalisation has entered the era of ICT convergence,” declared Xu. “Huawei is an enabler of a better connected world.”

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