Information and communications technology (ICT) provider Axians UK has picked Adva's Ensemble software suite to provision its network functions virtualization (NFV) services.
Axians UK is using the Ensemble software for its managed hosting service, which makes NFV available to its customers via virtual network functions (VNFs). The managed hosting service supports VNFs for SD-WAN, firewalls and WAN optimization.
Adva is working with several SD-WAN vendors, including Nuage Networks, Silver Peak, Versa Networks and Cisco/Viptela, for "smart SD-WAN" that includes virtual implementations. Adva also supports SD-WAN VNFs combined with next-generation firewalls from companies such as Palo Alto and Fortinet.
The promise of NFV has been hampered by the additional complexities that it has created for service providers. By bringing new elements, such as zero-touch provisioning, service chain monitoring, improved security layers and software management, Adva's Ensemble division is seeking to make NFV much more manageable.
The Axians UK managed hosting service removes the risk and some of the complexities of deploying NFV to a wide range of its customer base. Axians UK is deploying the Ensemble Connector at customer sites to provide networking at Layer 2 and Layer 3, including LTE access and Carrier Ethernet 2.0 functionality.
The Ensemble platform gives Axians UK’s customers the ability to mix and match their choice of hardware and software components. The Ensemble suite includes Ensemble Connector, Ensemble Orchestrator and Ensemble Director.
“The cloud is driving technology innovation for networking, and this means openness and choice. By harnessing our Ensemble software, Axians UK is offering businesses and CSPs a way to achieve the efficiency and flexibility benefits of NFV with only minimal investment and virtually zero risk,” said Adva's James Buchanan, general manager for edge cloud, in a statement. “Axians UK wants to give their customers freedom to select the most advanced and appropriate technology for their needs. Our Ensemble software delivers exactly that by providing easy access to over 50 commercial VNFs as well as the largest set of supported compute platforms. With a full set of field-tested operational features, our solution also enables ease of deployment at a global scale.”
RELATED: Adva simplifies NFV for service providers with updates to its Ensemble platform
Adva upgraded its Ensemble platform in September. The Ensemble platform is based on ETSI's NFV architecture, but it's separate from ETSI's Open Source MANO initiative and separate from the Open Network Automation Platform, although it could plug into ONAP as an orchestrator, or ONAP could "talk" directly with the Ensemble Connector.
Ensemble is integrated with other orchestrators from Ericsson, Amdocs and Netcracker, which are competitors to Adva in other areas of the NFV ecosystem.