Last week Vanilla Plus hosted a roundtable discussion on “Why analytics-supported orchestration is the management enabler for network functions virtualisation.” If you missed the webinar, featuring panellists such as Tom Conklin from Ericsson and Guy Daley from Cisco, then why not take a look at our top five take away points from the event.
1. CSP’s need to think end to end to make NFV a success
Glen Ragoonanan (Analysys Mason) started the discussion by highlighting the importance of E2E network visibility. Without an E2E software solution, the network and IT functions will continue to operate in silos, and NFV will be ineffective in delivering automation and actionable analytics to CSP’s – the key elements driving NFV implementation in the industry.
2. A skill-set change is needed to embrace a software centric methodology
Network operators will inevitably need to move into the B/OSS stack, creating a more IT orientated environment and the need for effective training programmes. Ken Dilbeck (TM Forum) discussed how ‘data centre’ style operations are likely to be introduced, bringing with it more geographical dispersion.
3. Network data integrity will be more crucial than ever before
Rob Marson (Nakina Systems) initiated the discussion on the stresses NFV will place on service assurance systems. He highlighted how the potential for data discrepancies will be a massive concern for B/OSS, and a system with network data integrity analysis and reporting functionality is therefore essential.
4. NFV will help CSP’s differentiate with faster, lower cost deployments of new services
Guy Daley (Cisco) identified one of the key medium term benefits of NFV for CSP’s – the ability to deploy new services at a vastly improved rate and at a lower cost. In theory, NFV should also allow product managers to deploy multi-vendor updates, making a significant cost saving in doing so.
5. NFV will support the goal of a completely personalised customer experience
Sameh Yamany (JDSU) brought the discussions to a close by looking at the long term benefits of NFV. If implemented successfully, alongside a comprehensive unified service assurance solution, CSP’s will soon have the ability to utilise big data to offer a more personalised customer experience.
One thing is clear – a highly capable unified service assurance solution is a core requirement for analytics-supported orchestration. The Zen Big Data Analytics solution is designed specifically for the telecommunications industry, encompassing fault management, performance management, service management and unified mediation. By offering all these elements in one single platform, Zen has the functionality to overcome the challenges associated with NFV implementation, providing CSP’s with a futureproof solution.