The MEF announced it is extending its work to standardise SD-WAN managed services, and is defining SD-WAN service terminology, components and implementations in the context of its LSO (Lifecycle Service Orchestration) Reference Architecture and Framework (MEF 55).
The MEF initiative is intended to ensure the consistency of performance, policy and security of SD-WAN services orchestrated across multiple provider networks leveraging open LSO APIs.
Key MEF SD-WAN initiatives and deliverables
SD-WAN service implementations
- MEF’s established OpenCS (Open Connectivity Services) SD-WAN Project is currently focused on delivering use cases and business requirements to ensure that open standard LSO APIs can enable orchestration of SD-WAN managed services across multi-provider, multi-vendor implementations. The MEF community has agreed on the first six SD-WAN managed services use cases.
- The OpenCS SD-WAN project will also deliver a set of LSO APIs designed to enable consistent SD-WAN assurance, application performance and security policies, to include telemetry data feeding back into LSO analytic platforms for various AI automated use cases.
- The OpenCS SD-WAN project is led by Riverbed and VeloCloud Networks, with contributions from Amartus, Cox, Fujitsu Network Communications, GBI, Huawei, and Nokia/Nuage. Silver Peak and Versa Networks have joined as MEF members to contribute to the SD-WAN work.
SD-WAN market education
- MEF recently created the SD-WAN Market Education Project to explain its position on SD-WAN and how it aligns with other initiatives related to orchestrated Layer 1-7 services enabled by LSO APIs. As part of this program, it has released the white paper ‘Understanding SD-WAN Managed Services: Service Components, MEF LSO Reference Architecture, and Use Cases’.