Axians UK, which provides ICT services to private-sector companies, public-sector entities, operators and service providers, has selected the ADVA Ensemble software suite to deliver network functions virtualization (NFV) services to its customers. Specifically, Axians UK is leveraging ADVA Ensemble software as part of an open managed hosting service that will support standard applications such as software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) and firewalls, as well as any other network functions or customer applications.
The Axians UK managed hosting service uses key elements of the Ensemble suite, including Ensemble Connector deployed at the customer site to provide advanced networking at Layer 2 and 3, including LTE access and Carrier Ethernet 2.0 functionality. Ensemble Connector also features zero-touch provisioning for ultimate simplicity and scale.
With the open and vendor-neutral Ensemble platform, Axians UK’s customers can mix and match their choice of hardware and software components. The service also offers access to a library of VNFs, including some of the most popular SD-WAN, firewall and WAN optimization products.
“The cloud is driving technology innovation for networking, and this means openness and choice. By harnessing our Ensemble software, Axians UK is offering businesses and CSPs a way to achieve the efficiency and flexibility benefits of NFV with only minimal investment and virtually zero risk,” commented James Buchanan, GM, Edge Cloud, ADVA.
“With this solution, we’re empowering our customers with a hosting platform that enables them to dynamically select and manage VNFs. No longer will they have to replace hardware at multiple sites when they change IT or network applications. Now they can access the Axians customer portal to control the customer-located managed hosting platform. This is especially important for our customers with an international footprint, especially the Tier 2 and 3 CSPs, financial institutions, logistics and retail verticals,” said Russell Crampin, managing director, Axians UK. “As a part of this offering we’ll start with at least two qualified suppliers for SD-WAN, two for firewall and two for the hosting servers, and grow all of those later. ADVA’s Ensemble technology perfectly supports our vision of customer choice.”
