Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. May 16, 2017. Ensemble, a division of ADVA Optical Networking, today launched a major upgrade of its NFV platform with key enhancements for telco-scale virtualization. The high-performance software-based product suite has been specifically optimized for the simple, low-cost deployment of universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) solutions in a cloud-native fashion. Now, service providers can combine multiple virtual network functions (VNFs) onto a single uCPE rather than stacking separate boxes for a significantly lower total cost of ownership. The new release also features LTE wireless support and zero touch provisioning, enabling service providers to eliminate onsite visits for service activation. This means service providers can drop-ship servers directly from COTS suppliers to end customers – dramatically simplifying supply chain logistics.
“Our Ensemble technology is expanding the capabilities of NFV in telecommunication networks. With these new features, we’re evolving the virtualization landscape to meet the needs of service providers and making rapid, efficient software-based services available for many more end users,” said Prayson Pate, CTO, Ensemble Division, ADVA Optical Networking. “We listened to our customers and this new release is our response. Every one of the latest applications is a direct answer to specific requirements from our current customer engagements and from our own experience with major commercial deployments. Our direction remains laser-focused on simplifying the deployment, operationalization and monetization of NFV at scale. To us, this is not just a marketing pitch. It’s our mission.”
The new Ensemble release takes its multi-award-winning flexibility, openness and efficiency to the next level. As well as enhanced provisioning capabilities, the upgrade includes significant resource optimization enabling service providers to shrink NFV infrastructure footprints to a single Intel® Atom™ core. The new update also solves the problem of how to expand OpenStack beyond the data center. By including local OpenStack controllers, it effectively embeds the cloud in each compute node. This overcomes many of the traditional problems that service providers have experienced. What’s more, Ensemble advances the use case of SD-WAN. Service providers are now able to deploy SD-WAN as a VNF on a COTS server as opposed to using a traditional closed appliance.
“As a pioneer in worldwide NFV deployment, we’ve found that the types of features offered by Ensemble are critical to a sound virtualization strategy. They offer innovative solutions for any service provider committed to delivering efficiency, flexibility and service control,” commented Tim Naramore, CTO, Masergy. “At Masergy, we’re continuing to evolve our own offering and enhance our software-based services by leveraging these types of capabilities. We believe in providing virtual solutions tailor-made for each customer’s unique environment. The latest enhancements to Ensemble align well with our commitment to cutting through complexity, simplifying service innovation and speeding up deployment. Ultimately, it’s about delivering even more to our customers – more speed, more choice and more value.”
Further details on the product upgrade are available in these slides: http://adva.li/ensemble-upgrade-slides.
At the same time, Ensemble announced that Verizon has selected its Ensemble Connector as part of the deployment of the service provider’s universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) solution. Verizon is using the Ensemble Connector as its network functions virtualization infrastructure (NFVI) on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) white box servers. Ensemble Connector’s zero touch provisioning enables Verizon to drop-ship servers directly from the COTS supplier to the end customer – dramatically simplifying supply chain logistics. Ensemble Connector further simplifies operational processes with access to the industry’s largest collection of virtual network functions (VNFs).
“As we expand the number and scope of SDN/NFV-based transformations with our customers, we see significant demand for solutions based on COTS hardware,” said Shawn Hakl, vice president, Business Networking and Security Solutions, Verizon. “The demand to move from hardware-based services to software-based, cloud-enabled solutions is growing by the day and is only going to accelerate. Ensemble Connector is an important enabling technology for us to bring these solutions to market. This approach allows us to provide our customers with a simple, rapid installation experience and allows them to securely deploy multiple software-based services on a single uCPE installation.”
Verizon’s uCPE solution has been built from the ground up to provide end customers with greater agility, functionality and scalability. Ensemble Connector improves OpenStack scalability and manageability by embedding local controllers in each COTS white box. This is something no other NFVI technology on the market offers. Ensemble Connector is also unique in that it provides support for wired and LTE connections. This enables the Ensemble Connector to “call home” using the most suitable access available and automatically configure customers’ virtualized services without any need for pre-configuration or onsite visits.??????
“What we’re announcing here is more than an agreement between Verizon and ADVA Optical Networking; it’s a dramatic shift in how companies build next-generation networking solutions,” commented James Buchanan, general manager, Ensemble Division, ADVA Optical Networking. “Adding our Ensemble Connector to its VNS uCPE solution will provide Verizon’s customers with more choice, more services and more flexibility. Ensemble Connector’s capabilities help solve deployment, operational and runtime challenges.”
Watch this video for more information on Ensemble Connector: https://youtu.be/pCmZV7mxDRc.
Further details on the announcement are also available in these slides: http://adva.li/verizon-vns-ucpe.
About ADVA Optical Networking
ADVA Optical Networking is a company founded on innovation and driven to help our customers succeed. For over two decades, our technology has empowered networks across the globe. We’re continually developing breakthrough hardware and software that leads the networking industry and creates new business opportunities. It’s these open connectivity solutions that enable our customers to deliver the cloud and mobile services that are vital to today’s society and for imagining new tomorrows. Together, we're building a truly connected and sustainable future. For more information on how we can help you, please visit us at: www.advaoptical.com.
