Intelligent automation software startup Pensa Inc. is adding to its product portfolio with today’s release of Pensa Maestro NFV, a new offering designed to automate the process of replacing dedicated network hardware with software that can run on a variety of server computers.

Pensa is a relatively new face in Silicon Valley. The company, which boasts a high-profile chief executive officer in former Dell Technologies Inc., EMC Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Co. veteran Tom Joyce (pictured), emerged from stealth mode late last year with the aim of making software-defined virtual infrastructure, known as Network Functions Virtualization or NFV, faster and easier to use.

The company’s core product is the Pensa Maestro platform, which is a cloud-based system for enterprises that want to spin up software-based information technology environments where they can run cloud-hosted applications in a secure manner. The first offering on that platform is called Pensa Lab. Released last year, Pensa Lab is on-demand software as a service that allows users to create “virtual IT test labs” based on OpenStack and VMware Inc. software in order to test their applications before they’re deployed more widely.

With Pensa Maestro NFV, the startup is branching out into more niche areas, enabling communication service providers to create NFV services faster with fewer errors. The system relies on intelligent automation and advanced modeling to help those CSPs design, validate and deliver NFV network services, the company said.

NFV refers to the concept of replacing dedicated network appliances — such as routers and firewalls — with software running on commercial off-the-shelf servers. The idea is to transform the way CSPs design and build their networks and deliver network services. The use of commodity hardware is important because it means network managers no longer need to buy and manually configure dedicated hardware devices in order to build a service chain that links certain functions to perform a desired sequence.

In its pitch, Pensa said that growing adoption of 5G networks will make it essential for all CSPs to replace their legacy networks with NFV network services if they wish to stay competitive. However, the company reckons such a transition will be difficult for CSPs that go it alone.

Pensa Maestro NFV is the company’s solution for easing that transition. It relies on advanced modeling features to help CSPs design, validate and deliver NFV network services, the company said. This simplifies processes such as importing and testing new networking elements. CSPs can therefore use the platform to create complex networks built using a variety of technologies from multiple providers, allowing the delivery of new services far faster than was previously possible, according to the company. The platform also provides intelligent validation to ensure network designs will work as intended, reducing human error.

Joyce outlined the company’s goals in an interview on SiliconANGLE’s mobile TV studio studio theCUBE at the KubeCon + CloudNativeCon conference in December in Austin, Texas. “The role of the architect in a cloud-native environment is more important than ever,” Joyce said. “Somebody needs to know how the tools work to make sure that the service levels actually deliver.” (* Disclosure: Pensa Inc. sponsored this segment. Neither Pensa nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Here’s Joyce’s full interview:

Photo: SiliconANGLE