Lots of excitement and energy continue to surround NFV (Network Function Virtualization), and it is getting even better. During the charged atmosphere at the inaugural NFV Congress in San Jose, we were delighted by more than just technology posturing, including the availability of SDN (Software Defined Networking)/NFV platforms like Cisco's Virtual Managed Services Solution that enable Deutsches Telekom's International CloudVPN, and Telstra's Symphony initiative for Unified On-Demand services.

The focus of the discussions this year shiftedfromcost cutting towards how NFVenables operators to make money and the new business models that these types of solutions enable. The busy week at NFV Congress also included a surprise appearance of our own David Ward, CTO of Engineering and Chief Architect on stage with Intel's John Healy, general Manager of their SDN Division to announce Cisco's participation in the Intel Network Builders program to accelerate innovation through Open Service Platforms.   To much laughter, David quipped that we are looking for in this collaboration with Intel is to "work harder, faster, and smarter", but the key point was really about enabling a "hypervisor or container based system that is more easily controlled and attached to the network".

It was also refreshing to see that some of the discussions moved beyond vague references around the lower levels of the ETSI/NFV framework towards using clearly defined, standardized, and interoperable service and device models based on NETCONF/YANG to orchestrate and automate services delivery.   Many of the participants acknowledged that SDN/NFV, orchestration and the APIs that are required to evolve their OSS/BSS processes and accelerate their support for these new services are still maturing. However, many operators like Deutsches Telekom and Telstra are partnering with Cisco to actively transform their businesses to take advantage of an agile DevOps model and open source innovations to become the first movers that capture these opportunities.

Be sure to join the conversation and engage with us on June 8th at Cisco Live San Diego

For more information of Cisco's Virtual Managed Services solution, read this short overview

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