AT&T this week expanded its enterprise virtualization efforts with the launch of a new “Network Functions on Demand” offering.
The platform, which is now available in 76 countries across five regions, allows businesses to deploy a single, universal piece of equipment, choose what virtualized functions it wants and then set up those functions in different locations across the globe.
“Building networks by deploying network functions in software is a major shift in network design,” said Vice Chairman of AT&T Inc. and CEO of AT&T Business Solutions and International Ralph de la Vega. “We’ve broken through traditional, cost-prohibitive barriers. Our software platform delivers a simple, flexible and efficient experience for any business, virtually anywhere and anytime they need it.”
AT&T said the Network Functions on Demand offering will initially include just a handful of services, including virtual routing from Juniper Networks, a virtual router from Cisco, virtual security from Fortinet and virtual wide area network optimization from Riverbed.
The product is being offered in various countries across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including the United States, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
The roll out of Network Functions on Demand follow’s AT&T’s launch of its Network on Demand product, offering Internet access, virtual private networks (VPNs), and a palette of Ethernet services, in 2015.
According to AT&T, the new offering is based on its software-defined network (SDN) technology, which it uses in its own network.
In February, AT&T said it managed to virtualize 5.7 percent of its network in 2015. The carrier has said it plans to virtualize 30 percent of its network this year, and is aiming to virtualize 75 percent of its network by 2020.
Within its own network, AT&T said virtualization allows it to add capacity and new capabilities faster, allowing it to adapt to increasing demand from consumers.
Filed Under: Infrastructure
