UPDATED 07:00 EDT / JUNE 20 2017

INFRA

NTT Com claims world’s first completely software-defined network

Telecommunications provider NTT Communications Corp. is launching what it claims is the world’s largest software-defined wide area network with coverage in more than 190 countries.

NTT Com said its SD-WAN Service Portfolio is the first “100 percent software-defined network” in the world, and will allow it to offer a range of high-performing SD-WAN services for both regional and global companies.

SD-WAN refers to a specific application of software-defined networking that’s applied to WAN connections, which are used to connect enterprise networks over large geographic distances. For example, a WAN could be used to connect branch offices across multiple countries to a central corporate network, or to connect multiple data centers located across the world.

Before the emergence of SDN, most WAN connections relied on special proprietary hardware. However, SD-WAN uses a software first approach to move more network control into the cloud. Most large enterprises currently operate private networks, so SD-WAN is of great interest to them because it ostensibly provides them with much greater control over network configuration and management.

NTT Com said it built its SD-WAN platform on a locally distributed architecture that spans more than 75 cloud centers. That architecture has been optimized for network, mobility and security services, the company said. It leverages technology the company acquired when it bought up SDN startup Virtela back in 2014.

The new platform’s main advantage is that it offers real-time streaming network analytics that can provide chief information officers and other information technology staff with deep insights into their network security, application performance and user experiences. In addition, the new platform enables the delivery of services from equipment located at customer branch offices.

Other benefits of NTT Com’s SD-WAN Service Portfolio include enhanced enterprise connectivity flexibility. The platform supports all types of connections, including local ISP, Internet, broadband, wireless, MPLS and LTE, so customers can mix them based on their connectivity requirements. Another useful advantage is secure web gateways, which enable security features such as web URL filtering, firewall protection and intrusion prevention services.

Stu Miniman, senior analyst with Wikibon, owned by the same company as SiliconANGLE, said that for many years, telecommunications companies tried to become serious contenders in the cloud, but failed repeatedly. Delivering services via software with SD-WAN is a better fit, he said.

“The goal of all SDN solutions was to take services that were traditionally baked into appliances or rigidly in network devices, and make it available in a scalable and agile way via software,” he said. “The SD-WAN category has seen rapid adoption in recent years, and this is exactly the type of solution that can offer telecommunication vendors like NTT new revenue streams and allow them to be more strategic and responsive to their users.”

Image: bsdrouin/pixabay

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