Turn Your Cloud Exchange Network Into a Network-as-a-Service

Transcription

1 Turn Your Cloud Exchange Network Into a Network-as-a-Service Use software-defined networking to make your Wide Area Network into a Revenue Generating Asset

2 Table of Contents Introduction Introducing Software-defined Cloud Exchange Networking Delivering Network as a Service Sonus VellOS Cloud Exchange Networking Platform Conclusion About Sonus

3 Introduction Applications and data have been moving and will continue to move to a Cloud domain meaning an increased need for data center connectivity. This increased connectivity is between data centers, as well as between an enterprise and their data center across a Wide Area Network. As service providers find themselves providing increased data center connectivity, they face a substantial challenge. The traditional way of provisioning, managing, selling, and ultimately monetizing their network assets is no longer dynamic enough to keep up with the new demands of data center connectivity. In addition, they have to deal with competitive pressures that will ultimately drive down pricing for data center connectivity. This white paper focuses on how a service provider can use software-defined networking to optimize their cloud exchange network resources and turn them into a dynamic, revenue-producing Network-as-a-Service. Introducing Software-defined Cloud Exchange Networking Data center connectivity has three important requirements to consider: Real-time management. Connectivity must be managed in real time based on business priorities. Accommodating changes in connectivity requirements should be automated as much as possible. Application traffic prioritization. Traffic must be prioritized based on business priorities for different applications, during both normal and non-normal working situations. Bandwidth utilization. Resources must be dynamically allocated to maximize network utilization and to lower the cost of connectivity. Service providers who can meet these requirements, by implementing a software-defined cloud exchange networking solution, will transform their network into a new revenue-generating Network-as-a-Service opportunity. A software-defined cloud exchange networking solution provides: Automatic Provisioning. Simplified provisioning using a web-based Portal or API whereby business policies are automatically translated into WAN configuration and provisioning for network devices is created using simple, yet powerful forwarding tables instead of complicated routing. Automation minimizes, and possibly eliminates, the need for any manual provisioning. Subsequently, any changes in network topology are automatically detected and an updated topology is maintained so future path computations are optimized. Dynamic Allocation. Bandwidth allocation to meet application requirements is managed on demand. The implementation of WAN changes based on business priorities needs to be accomplished in milliseconds; for example, time-of-day adjustments to WAN bandwidth for a nightly data replication program, or ensuring a high priority for every 15-minute backup of critical billing records. Flexibility. Responsiveness to be able to accommodate changes in network topology or changes in network behavior. Consider a fairly simple yet common event, where network congestion is degrading application performance. To resolve this problem, network resources need to be re-allocated in real time (in milliseconds) to ensure traffic flows around network congestion points. Security. Identification of network devices is automated, and access to network devices is protected and limited. If a network device is unknown, no traffic is allowed to flow to/from it. If traffic originates with an unknown user or application, it is not allowed onto the network. Visibility. From the IT manager to the CIO, ensuring the expected WAN behavior matches actual WAN behavior is crucial, especially for business-critical applications. Having end-to-end monitoring and analytics of traffic flows and application statistics provides the visibility that is critical to both proactive and reactive decision-making and ultimately for ensuring the WAN delivers on the expectations of the Network-as-a-Service. Delivering Network-as-a-Service There are two Network-as-a-Service examples that will be explored in more detail in this whitepaper: Data Center Interconnect and Metro Ethernet Managed Service. 3

4 Data Center Interconnect Industry news and resource site SDx Central defines Network-as-a-Service use case as the ability to provide existing network functions as an on-demand service for enterprise applications hosted within the cloud. It also defines Bandwidth on Demand use case as the ability for end users to turn up bandwidth on their network links as and when needed (e.g., for large backups or dataset movement), and bring it back down when no longer needed. We view the combination of these two as the Data Center Interconnect use case. This use case is the dynamic and secure interconnection of data centers with the intent to optimize bandwidth utilization and reduce costs. This will most often be done using an Ethernet/Optical transport network, as that only requires data forwarding without complex routing requirements to be administered and maintained. As a specific example of this use case, Pacnet (since acquired by Telstra International), a hosted data center provider, implemented a software-defined cloud exchange networking solution to create an interconnected topology of network assets, merging diverse connectivity and computing resources to make their 24 data centers appear as a single virtualized data center. Their goal was to have an infrastructure that would automatically respond to fast-changing application and traffic demands, without the need for slow and expensive manual intervention at the router level. In addition, they wanted to put the power to control and access bandwidth on-demand directly into the hands of their corporate, Cloud provider, and hybrid network customers. By doing this, they would be able to fundamentally change the behavior of their user community who, in the past, had usually been confined to highly formal and heavily pre-defined relationships with connectivity suppliers. This change meant their users would not be buying capacity they didn t use, or having to pay exorbitant fees when they needed to exceed pre-assigned limits when business requirements suddenly changed. With their cloud exchange network solution in place, they achieved superior network utilization and streamlined their network operations. They coupled this with an easy-to-use customer portal where customers could dynamically customize and configure their network bandwidth needs based on performance and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements under a flexible pricing model. This created a competitive differentiator whereby their customers could get data flows dynamically allocated on demand based on business metrics, such as latency and bandwidth requirements, instead of on technical routing metrics used by legacy networking solutions. Metro Ethernet Managed Services The second example is how a software-defined cloud exchange networking solution can bring efficiencies to the traditional metro Ethernet business model, which is typically based on Virtual LANs and routing to manage a customer s WAN traffic. This use case is focused on a multi-tenant building or campus deployment, where a service provider will manage multiple customers over a common Ethernet WAN, yet also being more responsive to customer requirements and maximize their revenue opportunity using their WAN resources. For the service provider, a software-defined cloud exchange networking solution gives them the means to optimize a shared Ethernet resource by dynamically allocating bandwidth as needed rather than committing a certain amount of bandwidth at all times to each customer. This means they will be able to maximize their network utilization for a given investment in network infrastructure. In conjunction with network optimization, they will be able to reduce their investment for each tenant by using lowcost switches. From a customer-facing viewpoint, the service provider will be able to assure Quality of Experience (QoE) on a per customer, per application basis, because traffic will be prioritized based on business priorities and associated Service Level Agreements. This QoE assurance will also be dynamic, as changes in WAN behavior, such as network congestion, can be accounted for and packet flows can be modified quickly enough to minimize or eliminate negative effects on application performance. Similarly, changes in customer requirements, such as a re-prioritization of application traffic, can be rapidly translated into modification of the underlying WAN behavior. This alone is a significant competitive differentiator when the network switch configuration changes can be done in minutes rather than weeks with traditional systems and processes. In addition, the service provider will have the ability to provide per customer, per application traffic isolation to meet security and/or compliance requirements. 4

5 Sonus VellOS A Cloud Exchange Networking Platform VellOS is a virtualized cloud exchange networking platform that transforms the current model for data center connectivity, enabling significant reduction in network costs and both capital and operational expenses. With VellOS, a service provider can dynamically deliver just-in-time WAN connectivity, optimize WAN bandwidth utilization, securely and reliably ensure application performance, support prioritized business-critical applications, and achieve business continuity if/when a disaster occurs. VellOS provides automated network operation via a policy-driven architecture with logically centralized resource control. Application traffic management is done with centralized visibility to real-time topology updates and dynamic path computation. Policy enforcement of flows is based on end-to-end path statistics, and dynamic management of flows is based on matching policy requirements to accommodate network changes (e.g., congestion, loss of path, latency, etc.). Flow management also includes accommodation for network path isolation, as might be required in regulatory compliance instances. VellOS assures that all traffic associated with a specific application is isolated from other traffic, regardless of network behavior. For interoperability, VellOS supports an API layer which allows interworking with third-party applications. One example is an integration with customer portal application. This, is a customizable, web-based, multi-tenant portal through which, customers can directly input per application, per session policies, such as required bandwidth and tolerance to latency and packet loss. This information is automatically available to VellOS, which in turn defines a specific path across the underlying transport layer to deliver expected quality of experience for that session. Conclusion Deployment of a cloud exchange networking platform gives a service provider the ability to maximize network utilization, dynamically allocate bandwidth on demand, securely segment traffic when multiple customers are using a shared network resource, and use lower-cost switches at the customer s network edge instead of routers. When coupled with a customer-facing portal, where the customer makes purchase decisions on bandwidth requirements and prioritization of application and data traffic, a service provider has the ability to truly enhance their competitive position. With clear cost advantages and competitive service advantages, a service provider will be able to turn their network infrastructure into a Network-as-a-Service to become a revenue-generating asset. 5

6 About Sonus enables and secures real-time communications so the world s leading service providers and enterprises can embrace the next generation of SIP and 4G/LTE solutions including VoIP, video, instant messaging and online collaboration. With customers in more than 50 countries and nearly two decades of experience, Sonus offers a complete portfolio of hardware-based and virtualized Session Border Controllers (SBCs), Diameter Signaling Controllers (DSCs), Cloud Exchange Networking Platform, policy/routing servers, and media and signaling gateways. For more information, visit or call GO-SONUS. Sonus is a registered trademark of Sonus Networks, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. North American Headquarters APAC Headquarters EMEA Headquarters CALA Headquarters 4 Technology Park Drive Westford, MA U.S.A. Tel: GO-SONUS 1 Fullerton Road #02-01 One Fullerton Singapore Singapore Tel: Edison House Edison Road Dorcan, Swindon Wiltshire SN3 5JX Tel: Homero No Col. Los Morales, C.P Mexico City, Mexico Distrito Federal Mexico Tel: Int l Tel: To learn more, call Sonus at 855-GO-SONUS or visit us online at The content in this document is for informational purposes only and is subject to change by without notice. While reasonable efforts have been made in the preparation of this publication to assure its accuracy, assumes no liability resulting from technical or editorial errors or omissions, or for any damages resulting from the use of this information. Unless specifically included in a written agreement with, has no obligation to develop or deliver any future release or upgrade, or any feature, enhancement or function. Copyright 2015, Inc. All rights reserved. Sonus is a registered trademark of, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks or registered service marks may be the property of their respective owners. DS /7 6