NTT Com claims global cloud first
Integralis owner unveils suite of cloud-based network services that it claims will slash the cost and complexity of enterprise networking
Japanese telecoms giant NTT Com has claimed an industry first with the launch of a suite of cloud-based network services that can be instantly activated online.
It claims to be the first to offer network functions virtualisation (NFV)-enabled services on a commercial scale, labelling it as the most "advanced cloud-based networking offering worldwide" that will significantly cut the costs and complexity of enterprise networking.
The new services – set to go on sale in July – are powered by cloud networking specialist Virtela Technology Services, which the firm acquired in January. It has been on the acquisition path for the past few years, with its biggest local acquisition to date being Integralis in 2009.
Its services can be activated by users instantly when and where they are needed. It claims that deployments which previously took months now take just minutes and configuration changes that took weeks can be done in real time.
Takashi Ooi, vice president of enterprise network service at NTT Com, said: “While many industry experts and service providers have long been speaking about the potential of NFV, we are excited to become the first service providers to commercialise NFV-enabled services on a global scale.
“NFV is a technology to virtualise network functions that traditionally run on physical appliances. Leveraging NFV technology in our Local Cloud Networking Centers worldwide, we can now deliver varieties of network functions – such as firewall and application acceleration for branch offices – from our network cloud. This eliminates the ‘one device, per service, per location’ model, resulting in significant cost savings for our customers.”
Ron Haigh, president of Virtela, added: "We are accelerating the delivery of new innovative services, setting the highest bar in the industry with a flexible subscription model that enables CIOs to simplify network architecture and allow them to focus on their core business."