Network Functions Virtualization, Software Defined Networking, and Cloud Computing are terms we hear now and then, especially if one is related to either of the fields. In this blog, we have described each of them and have made a comparison between the three.
Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)
This is a new way of designing, deploying and managing network services. Often known as Virtual Network Function, NFV separates various network functions like network address translation, firewalls, domain name service, intrusion detection, caching, etc. NFV is designed in such a way that it can consolidate and delivery various networking components like storage, virtual servers, etc which are required to support a virtualized infrastructure. With the use of NFV, network administrators need not invest in dedicated hardware devices to build a service chain.
Software Defined Networking (SDN)
Software Defined Networking is a way of managing computer networking. Through SDN, network administrators can manage network services through the concept of lower level functionality. A cost effective and adaptable architecture, SDN is best suited for today’s ever changing business scenario. SDN decouples forwarding functions and network control since it is directly programmable. Traditional networks contain static architecture which often does not support dynamic computing and storage requirement, a problem that is addressed through SDN. When OpenFlow protocol emerged in 2011, SDN started to be associated with it. However, from 2012, companies started to move away from OpenFlow protocol and adopting various other techniques like Cisco’s Open Network Environment and Nicira’s network virtualization platform for better operational efficiency.
Cloud Computing
This is an internet based Cloud Service Model that enables computers and devices to share resources and data on demand. It is built with the intention to make data ubiquitous and whenever requirement by sharing the data between various types of computer resources like networks, servers, applications, services, storage, etc. This, in turn, leads to economies of scale and valuable cost savings.
Since everything is stored in the virtual world, cloud computing saves infrastructure costs like purchasing servers, maintaining server rooms, etc. Thus, businesses can use the saved funds in critical operational requirements. Moreover, cloud computing enables faster network operation, easier management of network at minimal maintenance.
What is the difference between these technologies?
With the ever-increasing competition in the telecom industry pushing down the ARPU for every telecom operator in the recent year, the operators were looking forward to technologies that will help them to keep their networks scalable, provide uninterrupted service and enable new subscribers quickly. NFV, SDN and Cloud computing are the technologies that fulfil their requirements.
The availability of NFV, SDN and Cloud computing will enable the operators to move their infrastructure to enterprise class cloud computing servers. This will make their networks more agile, flexible and responsive. It is also expected to significantly bring down the costs of network commissioning and also the operating costs.
Now if you’re thinking about which one to go for, then you need to understand that these technologies are not mutually exclusive, rather they are complementary.
Cloud computing has already been a roaring success in most industries, and internationally the telecommunication operators are quickly realizing the worth of NFV and SDN as well. Together, they allow the operators to harness the true power of virtual computing by porting their network hardware and software applications to the cloud, and operating them remotely.
While cloud computing supports the software applications, NFV virtualises the network hardware. It reduces the dependence on high cost dedicated and proprietary computing hardware, and allows the network to be run from shared virtual machines. This brings down the cost of procuring and deploying hardware, and consequently the CAPEX for the telecom operator comes down significantly.
SDN on the other hand, allows the administrators to manage the traffic flow in the virtual network efficiently, thereby ensuring uninterrupted service and a high-quality experience for the end user. Instead of having to manually change the configuration of the switches and doubters to control traffic flow, they can now do the same to a remote centralized console. As a result, the telecom operators will be able to cater to the business requirements in a focused and agile manner. SDN will does help them to reconfigure the network within a short time instead of the current response time of several hours and even days.
These technologies are being developed rapidly and are expected to become more robust, sophisticated and affordable in the future. Several major hardware and software companies are dedicating their time and energy to grow the scope of these technologies further. Needless to say, all players in the telecommunication industry need to look at these seriously, understand, and leverage the advantages and efficiencies that they can get from these.
