Addison Lee CTO admits playing safe by opting for Avaya

Software-defined networking start-ups have 'really good tech' but are just too risky - for now

Taxi firm Addison Lee has admitted it preferred to "play it safe" with the board by picking an established vendor for an software-defined networking (SDN) rollout than invest in a solution from a start-up - even if the start-up could provide better service.

Speaking to Computing after a session at IP Expo in London, CTO Peter Ingram said: "I know there's about three start-ups doing it, but you have to look at the risks to the business in terms of [rejecting] mature thoroughbreds," he said.

"Some of the startups, because they have greenfield sites, can get somewhere a lot quicker with some really good tech," he added.

However, because SDN is still a relatively immature technology, Ingram said he knew he had to go to the board with a less "risky" vendor choice - in this case, Avaya.

"We chose an established vendor to make it less risky. If you go to the board and say ‘Right, I've got an idea to do this,' the board will say ‘Well, I've never heard of XYZ start-up'," said Ingram.

So would Ingram still reject a system from a little-known start-up even if he thought it was the best solution available?

"At this stage, yes," he said.

"I think we'll look back in a couple of years and [SDN] will be a given - it'll be normal for everybody," he said.

"And we won't think twice about it. But when you're in the early stage of anything like this, you just have to take a gamble sometimes, and other times you just have to play safe."