VMware announces vCloud NFV 2.0 updates
VMware is building upon its telco NFV platform with a host of features specifically targeted at communications service providers (CSPs).
VMware rolled out its telco NFV platform, dubbed vCloud NFV 2.0, at Mobile World Congress (MWC) last year. It included versions of VMware vSphere with Operations Management, NSX for vSphere, vCloud Director, Integrated OpenStack, among many others.
New features to vCloud NFV 2.0 include support for VeloCloud delivered software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN), which includes a distributed network of VeloCloud Gateways, a cloud-based VeloCloud Orchestrator and a branch platform, VeloCloud Edge. It can be launched as a turnkey service, according to the company, or as a virtual network function (VNF) on customer premise equipment (CPE).
VMware announced it intended to acquire VeloCloud last November. The move deepened a rivalry between VMware and Cisco, which acquired VeloCloud competitor Viptela for $610 million earlier that year.
Containers and cloud-native apps are now supported on the telco NFV platform as well. The company said that CPSs can use Pivotal Container Service (PKS) to deliver production-ready Kubernetes on VMware vSphere and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), with compatibility to Google Container Engine (GKE).
The company also noted that CSPs can extend their VMware-based environments to the public cloud, including VMware Cloud on AWS, through VMware Hybrid Cloud Extension. VMware said this ought to enable users to expand to new locations without having to replatform, retest or change cloud tooling.
“CSPs must deliver new and differentiated services faster in an on-demand model to assist them today, as well as for the 5G future. This will require a transition to a cloud-centric virtualized infrastructure and service delivery model that is agile, automated, open, and software-defined,” said Shekar Ayyar, executive vice president and general manager, Telco Group at VMware, in a statement.
“VMware provides an innovative and production-proven software platform with 20 years of domain expertise in virtualization and cloud to help lead CSPs and telcos into next-generation distributed cloud leadership. Making this transition will enable CSPs to drive top line growth, improve bottom line performance, and retain and grow both their consumer and enterprise customer bases.”
