Welcome to Bitesize Fiber, the podcast where we break down the biggest challenges and best practices shaping the future of fiber and telecom networks, one bite at a time.
In episode 2, host Ellie Puls joins James Roche and Stefan Schneider to discuss the shift from paper to digital tools, emphasizing the importance of real-time data for field teams. Hear stories of outdated prints and best practices for pocket-sized fiber networks.
Let's dive in...
Ellie Puls:
I'm your host, Ellie Pulse, and we're listening to episode 2 of our network operations series. Today, we're talking about the shift from paper-based workflows to real-time digital tools and why going digital isn't just about ditching maps and PDFs. It's about giving field teams the data they need when and where they need it. Back with me are James Roche and Stefan Schneider, sharing stories from the field, the frustrations of working off outdated prints, and what best practice looks like when your entire network fits in your pocket. Let's dive in.
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| Ellie Puls, Product Manager | James Roche, Customer Success Manager | Stefan Schneider, Product Manager |
Ellie Puls:
How have you guys seen that change from paper maps to these digital tools and are there still issues that we still need to iron out?
James Roche:
So, I started in paper maps and I remember having a book per city and it was an 11 by 17, it was thousands of pages and you would have handwritten notes. So it was CAD drawings that were basically with handwritten notes and we would actually pass those along to other people. And one of the funniest things is if you ever had to update your maps, you would get this packet of paper, and you would have to go through manually and pull out a page or clip pages together because you're not going to get rid of your notes, but have the updated map pages.
One of the things that I've seen with the transition to digital, and I lived through that from paper maps to CAD on a computer to IQGeo's platform being more mobile, is you still have a lot of information that you have to go to other places for. Stefan says, everyone's siloed, that's absolutely true. So you've got data that's tracking phones, you've got data that's tracking modems, you've got data that's tracking all different types of assets in your network, and we need to find that way to bring it to a mobile platform, that's effective, but is actually mobile.
It's one thing to have a laptop in a truck. But a laptop's not going to go up in the air with you necessarily, especially if the weather's bad or something of that nature. So, having something that's truly mobile that gives a technician a viewing portal into all the assets, and all of the tracking tools it has is crucial in our network moving forward.
Ellie Puls:
Yeah, I definitely think that's a struggle that a lot of technicians see is there's a big gap between when they go out to the field and then when they have to come back and actually put all that info back into the system. Some things can be forgotten. So Stefan, does IQGeo have anything like that?
Stefan Schneider:
So, the whole premise for IQGeo, it's the ability to modify and maintain your assets, both on desktop, like people traditionally doing the office as well as mobile. So if you're on the field and have to update a design because something changed, you can do it straight from the app. We have customers that have actually gotten rid of their paper maps and their printouts, because they use IQGeo on a tablet, on-site to correct their as-built information and their network information just from the field.
One of the things that is also interesting, is that we are gaining as a result of this, a lot of knowledge around what customer best practice looks like. And if you ask James, right, the best practice thirty years ago would have been like, here's a plotter in an office, go print a map and take it with you to whatever you're doing. Twenty years ago, it would have been like, don't print it on the plotter because we got rid of the plotter. So print it on the laser printer and take it with you and maybe clip it to your little map book that you had. Ten years ago, it would have been like, take your laptop with you and hope that you have enough battery to do that.
As we've evolved and now you can carry the map in your pocket, the one thing that we need to start getting in the pocket of people as well, is all the best practices of, you have this information at your fingertips, but what do you do? I think one of the things that we can help bridge the gap is not just digitizing the information, but bringing all the knowledge and experience that all the people that have worked in the telecom industry in the last thirty years have accumulated into our tools - to make sure that the people who come behind us have access to that best practices and that knowledge so they can do their jobs efficiently.
James Roche:
I think a follow up to that that is key is, as we start to build these layers of data inside of our products, you also have to understand people's past processes are hard to change unless they see the benefit of it. It's one thing to have the capability to look at something on a phone, but when you're used to a workflow and everything's been attachments and maps and markups, and you don't have that mindset to really have something in your hand or whether it's a tablet, whether it's a phone and sit out in the field with somebody and go, here's real time data.
If this was updated yesterday, someone did some work, we're going to have to amend this, and you can look at it right there, where if you're dealing with a map or an attachment that could be weeks old, you're not looking at the up to date information. And so, really changing people's perspectives to operate in a real time network and giving them the tools to do that, I think is key to the industry moving forward.
Stay tuned for the next episode as they delve into the transformative potential of telecom operators turning network operations from a traditional cost center into a strategic competitive advantage by breaking down data silos, enabling real-time mobile access, and leveraging AI.
Missed episode one? Catch up below.
Stay tuned for episode three. In the meantime, if you're struggling with data siloes, disconnected systems and data access in the field, speak to our industry experts and discover how IQGeo can transform your fiber network operations.