A new Next Generation Enterprise Network Alliance (“ngena”) plans to launch international network services for business customers in the first half of 2017. Founding members include CenturyLink, Deutsche Telekom, Reliance and SK Telecom. The alliance envisions more than 20 additional service provider partners at full global deployment.
Ngena will provide a global service catalogue to its alliance partners, enabling them to deliver a unique network service experience for enterprise customers – a high performance service in terms of speed, flexibility, security and quality. The alliance will leverage NFV for network efficiency and end-to-end service automation. The alliance partners will be able to deliver full international VPN functionality, Application Performance Management (APM), WAN/LAN management and optimization up to additional built in services such as Unified Communication & Collaboration (UCC), advanced security services, platform APIs for adoption of industry-specific use cases (e.g. WLAN analytics for retail).
Alliance partners will use Cisco’s cloud and virtualization technologies.
“Complex individual contracts and ordering processes have no place in a digitized world. Services based alone on the public Internet are not secure or reliable enough for real-time applications such as logistics, manufacturing and telemedicine. A network without sufficient service quality is a risk that customers do not want to take. That’s why our alliance aims to provide multinational enterprise customers with a secure, powerful, global network service faster than before,” said Timotheus Höttges, CEO Deutsche Telekom AG.
“In today’s digital economy, strategic partnerships are more critical than ever to drive fast innovation. NGENA is a pioneering alliance among leading Service Providers to deliver globally consistent, cost-effective and flexible services, allowing them to deliver better experiences at a faster pace. Cisco is committed to the success of our Service Provider customers and is honored to play a part in connecting them across global boundaries, which will allow businesses and their customers to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunities in the digitized world,” said Chuck Robbins, CEO Cisco.
