ONUG Connect: The AI-Driven Enterprise WAN – From Static Circuits to Elastic, Secure, and Consumer-Controlled Connectivity
The enterprise WAN is on the verge of a fundamental transformation as AI agents reshape traffic patterns, redefine latency sensitivity, and drive entirely new bandwidth demands. Traditional models—static architectures, oversubscribed links, rigid multi-year contracts, and slow, manual procurement—are giving way to a new vision for what the WAN can become.
In this forward-looking session, ONUG Connect working group members will present the art of the possible: a future WAN that is flexible, elastic, and inherently secure by design. Just as importantly, this new model shifts power to the enterprise—giving consumers far greater choice, optionality, and control over their WAN estate than ever before.
At the center of this transformation is ONUG Connect, which unifies over 400 service providers across 2.2 billion locations globally into a single, automated marketplace. The platform replaces legacy, months-long RFP-driven procurement cycles with real-time service discovery, multi-provider comparison (in a “Google Flights” model for connectivity), and API-driven ordering and provisioning—compressing timelines from months down to minutes or hours.
You’ll hear how a new generation of services—SASE, NaaS, AI-optimized routing, and more—built on modern enterprise-grade connectivity can be discovered, compared, and orchestrated like cloud infrastructure, enabling real-time adaptability to AI-driven workloads while maintaining zero-trust security controls.
Leaders from ConnectBase, Tata, Granite Telecom, Avant, and Citigroup will share how they are shaping this next-generation WAN—and what it will take to turn this vision into reality.
Tony Farinacci recently retired from JPMorgan Chase after 22 years of service in executive leadership roles including CTO – Global Network Services, End-User Services, CISO – Global Technology Infrastructure, and Distinguished Architect – Cybersecurity Architecture. His first 13 years were providing global oversight of JPMorgan Chase’s Voice & Data Network, and Perimeter Security with the last 9 years in Cybersecurity focused on Infrastructure and Cloud Security, Threat Modeling, Risk Assessment, Policy as Code, and Zero Trust.
Previous to JPMorgan Chase, Tony spent 9 years at KeyCorp in various executive leadership roles including oversight of Voice & Data Networks, Enterprise Architecture, Distributed Computing, and the Enterprise Command Center.
Tony started his career at General Electric where he spent 7 years in various technical leadership roles including Senior Architect & Systems Programmer (Mainframe, UNIX, VAX, LAN), Telecommunications and Networking.
Tony earned his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree at Cleveland State University. He currently resides in Boca Raton, Florida with his wife.
Ben Edmond is the CEO and Founder of Connectbase, where he is responsible for
leading the company’s strategy, culture and operations. Prior to founding Connectbase,
Ben served as the chief revenue officer at Global Capacity, where he was responsible
for all aspects of the company’s customer go-to-market strategy and execution. Ben has
25 years of experience in the fiber, telecom and networking industries, encompassing
broad expertise in the areas of executive leadership, strategy, product, customer
experience, sales, marketing and operations.
Anup Pahade is a Software Engineering Leader at AT&T Business with 25 years of experience leading large-scale digital transformation and product delivery across AT&T Business and Consumer. He leads sales automation tools and an Indirect Sales API platform (Salesforce/MuleSoft) supporting 180+ reseller partners, driving $1B+ revenue across APEX, Wholesale, ACC and Alliance channels. He is known for accelerating delivery, modernizing platforms, and improving quality and performance across complex, multi-team ecosystems.
Eric is a seasoned systems architect and Technology Fellow at Citi with over 28 years of experience, specializing in eTrading infrastructure. His passion for pushing technological boundaries fuels his work, where he continuously explores innovative ways to revolutionize eTrading systems. As Director of High Performance Architectures Infrastructure (HPAi), he is instrumental in driving technological advancements at Citi.
Beginning his career as a C developer for the Department of Defense, Eric progressed to aerospace R&D roles, earning top honors in Electrical Engineering. His career spans pivotal roles in networking startups and FinTech, most notably at Morgan Stanley, where he led global network instrumentation and TimeSync, and advised on strategic technology investments. Eric was honored with the title of STAC Fellow for his industry-leading contributions to Time Synchronization.
At Deutsche Bank, as a Distinguished Engineer, he architected comprehensive best in class eTrading infrastructure solutions driving down latency and improving PnL, and at a proprietary trading firm, he further honed his skills in driving technological innovation.
Eric serves on advisory boards for leading companies such as HPE, Dell, Lenovo, Equinix, AMD, Intel, Keysight, and Exegy, where he provides thought leadership, helps drive innovation and ensures alignment with Citi’s strategic objectives. He has worked extensively with companies to develop next-generation products and frequently participates in technical speaking panels at industry conferences. He is also on the A-Team Group Trading Technology Advisory Board. Renowned for his vision and expertise in low-latency technology, Eric remains committed to transforming Citi’s eTrading infrastructure into a powerful competitive advantage.
