[kictanet] Safaricom abhors open systems

Mon Jun 6 09:07:44 EAT 2011

Hi,

Hi Walu but I feel you misinterpreted by post, the issue is not the 
implementation of the standards but more the method of teaching where you 
concentrate on vendor specific implementations.

A student needs to be knowledgeable enough on the basics to be able to quickly 
get up to speed with different vendors equipment.  If this is not done then we 
are short changing our students and the larger workplace, this vendor specific 
training is what is affecting our developers who get vendor specific training 
from day one.

What I am saying is that like with a college of accountancy that trains generic 
accounting we need to do the same with IT based training and in this instance 
routing and its related applications.  I await the day when an advertisement for 
recruitment of an accountant requires only proficiency in Quickbooks or SAP and 
not an CPA or ACCA certification.

A service provider in the current environment cannot afford to require specific 
vendor equipment for use by their clients as in my case an insistence on a Cisco 
router what if I prefer Juniper or D-Link does it then mean Safaricom will not 
be able to provide me with the service?

Regards

 Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

________________________________
From: Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com>
To: robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk
Cc: kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
Sent: Sat, 4 June, 2011 15:33:40
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom abhors open systems

@ Okech, Yawe,

CISCO equipment supports BOTH open and closed/proprietary standards.  Meaning a 
Cisco router can connect in a proprietary manner and/or open-standard manner 
(just enable the appropriate protocol). Same goes for Juniper routers and other 
leading vendors. 

Nobody - even the diehard M$oft makes closed systems anymore because that locks 
you out of the market (self-destructive). I tend to think the problem is not 
Cisco.  Problem could be that Safcom Engineers have not been briefed 
sufficiently ;-)

Finally, speaking from the teaching perspective...It is no longer just about 
teaching the principles.  It is about teach BOTH principles and the application 
(read vendor-based-examples).

walu.

--- On Fri, 6/3/11, Okech <okechjr at yahoo.com> wrote:

>From: Okech <okechjr at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom abhors open systems
>To: jwalu at yahoo.com
>Cc: kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>Date: Friday, June 3, 2011, 6:50 PM
>
>
>Robert,
>This a splendid advise both to parents, teachers, industrialist and students.
>However, I tend to believe that the idea is not new. The question is why are 
>people glued to vendor specific courses,
>Cisco has conquered the world through a superb marketing strategy. To oust them 
>thus requires a radical strategy that I leave for the listers to deliberate on
>
>On Fri Jun 3rd, 2011 6:07 AM PDT robert yawe wrote:
>
>>Hi Listers,
>>
>>I have always said that it is wrong to train IT students on proprietary system 

>>as is happening with Cisco training that is being offered as a career path. 
>> Switching and routing principles are based  on an open standard so students 
>>need 
>>
>>to have an appreciation of the technology and not a brand.
>>
>>I have been having an interesting exchange with Safaricom on setting up a 
>>connection to their SMSC where their engineers insist that the solution can only 
>>
>>be implemented using a Cisco router. 
>>
>>From this experience it is clear that most of the engineers at Safaricom have 
>>been trained on vendor specific and proprietary standards which has denied them 
>
>>the flexibility to work with none Cisco equipment. 
>>
>>Safaricom has been a proponent of open systems by being open to various 
>>handsets, so it is shocking that as they move towards becoming a data service 
>>provider they are opting to close their systems.
>>
>>This attitude by Safaricom reminds me of Orange and their Livebox fiasco that 
>>totally killed their broadband service yet all they had to do was  allow any DSL 
>>
>>compliant equipment to be used on their network and used the funds tied in 
>>equipment on advertising and any other activity.  
>>
>>I hope this is just a hiccup in their transition and that we shall see a more 
>>open minded organisation as they move towards being a serious contender in the 

>>corporate data provision service.
>>
>>For those of you with children or relatives basing their carriers 
>>on proprietary technologies please advice them to acquire generic education as 

>>well otherwise they might find opportunities passing them by, its the principles 
>>
>>that matter.  
>> Robert Yawe
>>KAY System Technologies Ltd
>>Phoenix House, 6th Floor
>>P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
>>Kenya
>>
>>
>>Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
>
>
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