Virtualising branch network infrastructure can save Enterprises a fortune on equipment, maintenance, and support costs while ensuring “always-on” access to critical business applications. But replacing physical devices with virtualised network functions can be complex and risky without the right architecture, strategy, and skillsets in place.
In this blog, Michael Crossey, director of virtualised edge business development EMEA at Ciena, outlines 3 key ways you can optimise your virtualisation strategy, reduce time and cost risks, and accelerate return on investment (ROI).
For all kinds of organisations, effective communications between HQ, the datacentre, the cloud, and remote branches is key. After all, branch locations need constant access to centralised or public cloud-based systems, apps, and resources to support day-to-day operations.
But traditional ways of building out and supporting branch IT infrastructure are no longer fit for purpose.
Specifically, deploying, powering, managing, and supporting multiple devices at each branch location including app servers, firewall devices, network switches, and encryption devices is becoming an unnecessary and unsustainable drain on resources. For those depending on teams of field engineers or outsourced technicians to fault-fix and upgrade these devices, the costs will be even higher.
Edge virtualisation is the answer but how do you get there?
To dramatically simplify branch IT infrastructure, and reduce CapEx and OpEx costs, innovative enterprises are turning to virtualisation at branch, or ‘edge’ locations. This is all about replacing multiple IT devices at the branches with a single combined network switch and server that runs all the connectivity, apps, and services needed as ‘virtualised network functions’, or VNFs.
With a highly efficient, ‘all-in-one’ solution to branch infrastructure needs, edge virtualisation seems like a total ‘no brainer’. Unfortunately though, the reality of replacing physical edge infrastructure with VNFs can be very complex especially if an organisation doesn’t have experience of doing it, or lacks the resources to take on substantial transformation projects in-house.
3 ways to accelerate and de-risk your virtualisation journey
Inevitably having the right strategy, and the right virtualisation partner, will ensure success for any virtualisation projects.
Ciena has helped some of the world’s leading retailers, banks, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and others to accelerate and de-risk their edge virtualisation journeys and to achieve major CapEx and OpEx savings.
In our experience from these real-world deployments, we recommend an edge virtualisation strategy that incorporates the following key elements:
1) Openness and interoperability to support truly ‘best-of-breed’ solutions and reduce vendor lock-in risks
Many edge virtualisation solutions are proprietary, requiring organisations to buy VNFs from a single supplier, or a very limited range of suppliers. To ensure a truly best-of-breed solution, consider implementing a virtualisation solution that gives you choice and flexibility. Choose a solution that supports SD-WANs, firewalls, load balancers, switches, and other VNFs from a broader range of approved vendors.
By choosing an open, standards-based solution, you can not only select the ideal network connectivity device and VNFs to support specific technology needs in different locations and regions, but also avoid vendor lock in and adopt new technologies easily and cost effectively in the future.
2) Enterprise-grade solutions that provide constant uptime and great performance
For many enterprises, dedicating resources to edge virtualisation means taking teams away from other critical projects. In other cases, internal skills and resources are lacking altogether, making such large, complex projects impossible to deliver internally.
By choosing to work with a specialist edge virtualisation partner, you can de-risk the process, and accelerate time to market and ROI. You can also get great guidance on the VNFs that best meet your needs and create a best of breed solution quickly and with confidence.
3) Specialist skills and resources with real-world experience of deploying edge virtualisation projects at scale
For many enterprises, dedicating resources to edge virtualisation means taking teams away from other critical projects. In other cases, internal skills and resources are lacking altogether, making such large, complex projects impossible to deliver internally.
By choosing to work with a specialist edge virtualisation partner, you can de-risk the process, and accelerate time to market and ROI. You can also get great guidance on the VNFs that best meet your needs and create a best of breed solution quickly and with confidence.
Thousands of enterprise branches virtualised and counting
Ciena has the virtualisation experience needed to help accelerate the journey and reduce branch infrastructure complexity and costs. We have already delivered large-scale edge virtualisation projects for retailers with thousands of branches as well as for financial institutions, healthcare providers, and school districts with hundreds of branches each.
In all cases, our enterprise clients have been able to achieve impressive savings not just on CapEx equipment costs, but also for ongoing maintenance, support, patching, and upgrades of their branch infrastructure. Most importantly, our systems integration service enables each customer to implement virtualisation on a scheduled that is optimised to their specific situation and branch configuration.
Make your own virtualisation journey faster and easier
Ciena’s end-to-end Virtualised Edge solution incorporates all the technology, skills, and resources needed to virtualise the edge cost effectively, plus all the support needed to transform the edge infrastructure quickly whether an organisation needs lots of help, or just a little.
We can also help virtualise the entire branch infrastructure, or choose a specific function to get started with, such as SD-WAN depending on how much needs to be done, and how soon. With our support, selecting the right VNFs, planning, and designing a viable solution, and replacing physical infrastructure with VNFs at any scale is straightforward.
The author is Michael Crossey, director of virtualised edge business development EMEA at Ciena
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