Ensemble launches major upgrade to NFV platform

Range of New Features Enables Service Providers to Deploy uCPE, Scale OpenStack and Deliver Software-Based SD-WAN on Cloud-Native Platforms

May 16, 2017

Ensemble, a division of ADVA Optical Networking, today launched a major upgrade of its NFV platform with key enhancements for telco-scale virtualization. The high-performance software-based product suite has been specifically optimized for the simple, low-cost deployment of universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) solutions in a cloud-native fashion. Now, service providers can combine multiple virtual network functions (VNFs) onto a single uCPE rather than stacking separate boxes for a significantly lower total cost of ownership. The new release also features LTE wireless support and zero touch provisioning, enabling service providers to eliminate onsite visits for service activation. This means service providers can drop-ship servers directly from COTS suppliers to end customers – dramatically simplifying supply chain logistics.

“Our Ensemble technology is expanding the capabilities of NFV in telecommunication networks. With these new features, we’re evolving the virtualization landscape to meet the needs of service providers and making rapid, efficient software-based services available for many more end users,” said Prayson Pate, CTO, Ensemble Division, ADVA Optical Networking. “We listened to our customers and this new release is our response. Every one of the latest applications is a direct answer to specific requirements from our current customer engagements and from our own experience with major commercial deployments. Our direction remains laser-focused on simplifying the deployment, operationalization and monetization of NFV at scale. To us, this is not just a marketing pitch. It’s our mission.”

The new Ensemble release takes its multi-award-winning flexibility, openness and efficiency to the next level. As well as enhanced provisioning capabilities, the upgrade includes significant resource optimization enabling service providers to shrink NFV infrastructure footprints to a single Intel® Atom™ core. The new update also solves the problem of how to expand OpenStack beyond the data center. By including local OpenStack controllers, it effectively embeds the cloud in each compute node. This overcomes many of the traditional problems that service providers have experienced. What’s more, Ensemble advances the use case of SD-WAN. Service providers are now able to deploy SD-WAN as a VNF on a COTS server as opposed to using a traditional closed appliance.

“As a pioneer in worldwide NFV deployment, we’ve found that the types of features offered by Ensemble are critical to a sound virtualization strategy. They offer innovative solutions for any service provider committed to delivering efficiency, flexibility and service control,” commented Tim Naramore, CTO, Masergy. “At Masergy, we’re continuing to evolve our own offering and enhance our software-based services by leveraging these types of capabilities. We believe in providing virtual solutions tailor-made for each customer’s unique environment. The latest enhancements to Ensemble align well with our commitment to cutting through complexity, simplifying service innovation and speeding up deployment. Ultimately, it’s about delivering even more to our customers – more speed, more choice and more value.&rdquo