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Network Virtualization Motivated by the New Normal
Spurred on by the pandemic, Network Virtualization has already ramped up cable ISPs as demand for more upstream and downstream services puts the industry to test.
As the old adage goes, “Behind every dark cloud, there’s a silver lining”. For the cable industry, that silver lining is an increased urgency to implement better customer solutions. The pandemic has created permanent changes in consumer behavior relating to cable usage. And that behavior is transforming the way ISPs are conducting their business. Dubbed the “New Normal”, one way that cable operators are adapting to change is by expediting technology that has languished for too long. An example of new technology that has suddenly created a new exigency is what’s referred to as “Network Virtualization”.
What are the differences between SLA-based and consumer-centric dynamic provisioning for cloud infrastructure? Find out here.
Wikipedia describes Network Virtualization (NV) as “the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software-based administrative entity, a virtual network.” It has become the latest buzzword traversing the industry’s digital landscape. Its shadow will grow large in the post-pandemic era. The new software technology is reshaping the cable industry’s approach to hi-tech software solutions. The nascent technology offers software workarounds that are affordable, scalable, and all-encompassing. It’s part of the industry’s move from a “big iron” hardware approach to a more ethereal network application by employing software to better solve the industry’s ability to reflect changes in consumer demand. Spurred on by the pandemic, NV has already ramped up cable ISPs as demand for more upstream and downstream services puts the industry to test.
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According to NCTA, cable providers serve more than 72 million homes and businesses throughout the country. With the advent of social distancing, the country depends on ISPs to operate businesses and keep customers connected. The increase in usage of services such as Skype and Zoom illustrates the new-found demand for alternatives to traditional solutions. Dave Keane-Mirajkar, CommScope’s RVP, NCTA’s COVID-19 Dashboard, cautioned the industry to expect heightened usage of remote-based network models. “There’s a new normal being established at the moment,” he stated. He also added that VNs will play a crucial role in the changing paradigm.
Network flexibility is the key component for ISPs in adapting to their individual NV strategy. Cable companies have the option of combining multiple, physical, and disparate networks into one virtual, software-based network. Conversely, NV is capable of dividing the software network into smaller, separate, independent virtual networks. To meet the challenge head-on, some companies employ technical NV tactics to accommodate users and keep cable humming. CommScope’s NV composition includes a virtual management plane, a virtual cable modem termination system (CMTS) core, and a virtualized headend platform. The platform focuses on micro services. It also forms the foundation of a Flexible MAC Architecture (FEMA) for the network’s control and management plane.
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Randy Levensalor, CableLabs’s principal architect, said the industry is well into the “first wave” of NV creation centering on basic building blocks. “Cable is now moving into the second, cloud-native phase, which is focused on breaking the network down into smaller components and employing the use of open source technologies like Kubernetes.” he stated. He articulated that the next stage of implementation will include such features as “closed-loop automation”. It will include network convergence via artificial intelligence and more extensive use of cloud computing.
Daniel Etman, a business development exec at Harmonic, delineated NV into threes types of servers that can be created: full virtualization, para-virtualization, and OS-level virtualization. During the “Big Box” era of cable, if something went askew, the ISP was required to re-set the box. In the case of software virtualization, it’s only a matter of addressing the errant component rather than relying on a total system re-boot. With Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTS), the industry has already been turning away from legacy, purpose-built distributed hardware, Etman added.
CMTS software provides for the delivery of services that include Distributed access architecture (DAA) which replaces analog fiber with IP connections and creates a software-defined network. The virtualization of hardware resources enables the platform to accommodate numerous virtual network applications such as firewalls, routers, web filters, and intrusion prevention systems. However, hardware virtualization will coalesce these myriad functions into a single hardware appliance.
Turn to the Pros for the Most Reliable VN Solutions
While the cable industry was heading toward this software-driven direction, a pandemic expedited its migration to Network Virtualization. For more information on how Intraway can help your company navigate through the cable industry’s changing landscape that’s being shaped by emerging technology, contact us.
What are the differences between SLA-based and consumer-centric dynamic provisioning for cloud infrastructure? Find out here.