I recently wrote a blog post about a few of the software industry's buzzwords du jour, namely network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN). In the blog post, I discuss the strong opportunities that these technologies present for communication service providers (CSPs), such as accelerated service activation and increased service monetization. And, for those CSPs that fear how SDN and NFV migrations may impact the customer experience, I also explain why service assurance and network performance management must be considered in the early stages of a transition to NFV.
But, this is only a tip of the iceberg. As CSPs accelerate NFV and SDN deployments, they must also consider, for example, how introducing new vendors into the network, network virtualization and automation may impact long-term network management strategies With this in mind, Infovista joined Overture's Harmony ecosystem, a consortium of software and service partners aimed at creating an open environment in which CSPs can select best-of-breed components for their NFV and SDN projects. Supported by this ecosystem, CSPs can leverage an open architecture and APIs to virtualize various network functions in order to accelerate service activation and offer innovative services to their end customers.
The NFV and SDN market is evolving rapidly and initiatives like Harmony that minimize common deployment obstacles have the power to shape NFV's future and accelerate future deployments. By engaging in a multi-vendor ecosystem with other innovative providers, like Certes Network, Kapsch CarrierCom and Red Hat, Infovista's CSP customers will benefit from the combined experience of market leaders, without worrying about vendor lock-in. Succeeding with such a transition will require holistic performance assurance dashboards that allow operations to guarantee end-to-end performance on hybrid networks (virtualized and non-virtualized). With an open ecosystem like Harmony, not only is this possible, but the transition to NFV is seamless.
If you are interested in learning more about NFV and SDN, specifically how monitoring the service delivery chain will play a role in its success, I invite you to read my recent article in Global Telecoms Business, Service Performance Assurance Enables Operators to Realize the Benefits of Their SDN and NFV Transformations. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn if you would like to further discuss Infovista's role in Overture's Harmony ecosystem.
