Hybrid Networks and Aerospace Industry: Iridium's Unique Requirements

Introduction

• Iridium is a satellite company that provides critical communication services in remote and challenging environments.
• The session features three distinguished members from Iridium and a representative from Fortinet's Cloud Consulting Services.
• The discussion focuses on Iridium's hybrid network architecture, the unique requirements of the aerospace industry, and how they address these challenges.

Iridium's Network Architecture

• Iridium operates in remote locations where traditional satellite signals are not available, offering a critical service for its customer base.
• Iridium's network is designed to be highly reliable and resilient, with features like:
  • Using L-band frequency that is resistant to rain and moisture attenuation
  • Dynamic routing and rerouting capabilities to handle weather-related disruptions
  • Seamless integration of on-premises and cloud-based components to maintain high availability

Unique Technical Requirements

• Iridium's network has unique technical requirements that differentiate it from a typical cloud-based system:
  • Extensive use of UDP multicast and non-HTTP-based protocols that are not cloud-friendly
  • Extremely stringent reliability and low-latency requirements (e.g., less than 1 second convergence time)
  • Need to handle two types of traffic: critical real-time traffic and management/monitoring traffic

Architectural Considerations

• The team explored various AWS services and solutions, such as AWS Cloud WAN, to address Iridium's unique requirements.
• Key considerations include:
  • Leveraging dynamic routing capabilities while mitigating the limitations of protocols like BGP
  • Ensuring seamless integration between on-premises and cloud-based components
  • Maintaining high reliability and fast convergence times for critical real-time traffic

Operational Excellence and Observability

• Visibility and monitoring are crucial for Iridium's complex hybrid network.
  • The team discussed the use of solutions like FortiAnalyzer and FortiManager to provide centralized logging, alerting, and management capabilities.
  • Importance of proactive monitoring, testing, and documentation to ensure operational excellence.

Cost Optimization

• Controlling costs is a significant consideration, given the complexity of Iridium's network.
  • The team discussed the use of AWS cost management tools and Fortinet's Flex licensing model to optimize costs.

Conclusion

• Iridium's unique requirements and the complexity of their hybrid network present significant challenges.
• Addressing these challenges requires a collaborative approach, leveraging expertise from both Iridium and external partners like Fortinet.
• The team emphasized the importance of an iterative process, starting small, testing, and gradually expanding the solution to meet Iridium's stringent requirements.