Spotlight on AI and Cybersecurity | TelecomDrive.com
In the fast-evolving telecom sector, Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are compelled to adopt innovative strategies. At Nokia, we emphasize the pivotal role of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in enabling CSPs to enhance network efficiency and reliability.
AI and machine learning now offer capabilities to predict and prevent network outages, detect security threats, and support proactive maintenance. With the emergence of Generative AI (GenAI) and Large Language Models (LLMs), we are exploring new avenues to harness knowledge effectively. Nokia, a leader in Telco AI, is enthusiastic about leveraging GenAI to transform CSPs into highly automated Digital Service Providers, envisioning networks capable of autonomous “Sensing”, “Thinking” and “Acting”.
Empowering networks to sense, think and act
Future networks must “Sense,” “Think,” and “Act” autonomously. This evolution involves:
- Sense Layer: Gathering diverse data sets across domains, vendors, and technologies for informed decision-making.
- Think Layer: Utilizing AI to analyze context and provide actionable insights.
- Act Layer: Implementing automated actions to optimize network operations.
GenAI plays a crucial role in the “Think Layer,” generating new knowledge applicable across all layers. For instance, GenAI can develop data collection adapters for the “Sense Layer” and automation agents for the “Act Layer.”
GenAI in the journey towards full autonomous operations
CSPs are advancing towards fully autonomous operations, leveraging AI-driven closed-loop automation throughout service lifecycles. Nokia’s commitment to realizing the concept of autonomous networks is evident through our award-winning Digital Operations Center solution.
AIOps (AI for IT operations) effectively handles tasks such as anomaly detection, causal analysis, pattern recognition, and behavior prediction. GenAI introduces a flexible and adaptive approach to AI, enhancing system autonomy and supporting service operations by simplifying complex tasks like decision-making, content generation, and interaction with unstructured data.
Most importantly, GenAI unlocks a wide range of entirely new use cases. This includes assisting humans with various tasks, whether by guiding them through available information to simplify analysis or by auto-generating content traditionally provided by users for incident analysis and reporting. Another use case involves the system negotiating and resolving intents or creating new artifacts for AIOps-led processes and closed-loop management without human intervention.
Additionally, GenAI can help users create custom content and configurations to optimize the closed-loop process across all stages of the design, deployment, and service lifecycle assurance.
So, in the journey towards achieving full autonomous operations, CSPs have been integrating capabilities such as network digital twins, AIOps, intent-based orchestration, and now GenAI.
GenAI assisted cybersecurity
The complexity of cyber threats is increasing, with cybercriminals now utilizing GenAI for sophisticated attacks on critical infrastructure. A Telco GenAI assistant enhances cybersecurity capabilities by swiftly aggregating and analyzing large volumes of cyber threat data. At Mobile World Congress, we announced the integration of our award winning NetGuard Cybersecurity Dome software with a telco-centric GenAI assistant for CSPs and enterprises. This integration accelerates detection and resolution capabilities, ensuring faster responses to threats.
Our Extended Detection Response (XDR) security platform, powered by AI and machine learning, provides robust defense mechanisms tailored for 5G networks. By combining Nokia’s telecom domain expertise with Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service, we deliver enriched, context-aware security outcomes. This collaboration enhances the efficiency of our Cybersecurity Dome in identifying and mitigating threats.
We anticipate that the GenAI assistant can reduce threat identification and mitigation times by up to 50 percent, depending on the nature of the cyberattack. This estimate accounts for a significant reduction in false positives, leading to more effective and efficient management of cybersecurity incidents.
Making it happen
GenAI is pivotal in automating and securing networks due to its adaptive ability to comprehend unstructured data, context, and generate new knowledge dynamically. Nokia is dedicated to advancing autonomous networks, driven by technologies that sense the environment, think to adapt the behavior, and act seamlessly without human intervention. Leveraging our extensive expertise in software and networks, we can assist CSPs in embracing GenAI to automate and secure their networks.
This article is first published inside the July 2024 issue of Disruptive Telecoms