AXON DigitalTWIN: Building the Foundation of Next-Generation Networking
ISPs face a challenging environment. Intense competition makes the job of getting and retaining customers harder every quarter. A lack of differentiation can be the difference between a market leader and a market also-ran. In many cases, the success of an ISP’s service offerings in the home is dependent on the capability of its customers to rely on self-service options to troubleshoot issues. The alternative is expensive truck rolls and longer times to resolve issues, leading to further customer dissatisfaction and higher churn.
On the technology side, many ISPs lack reliable, intelligent, real-time insight into the current state of the network and the devices running on it, putting them at risk of unexpected service outages and other issues. Putting solutions in place to help them gain that insight, as well as to upgrade overall network capabilities and deploy new services, can be time consuming and expensive.
To address those challenges, many ISPs are turning to network virtualization and cloud-based solutions to make them more agile and better able to see into their networks to detect – if not anticipate – network issues faster and more cost effectively. Some are taking that idea further by deploying digital twins of their network.
Real-time data and insight
A digital twin network is a virtual replica of the physical network in a cloud-based environment. Used to aid in network design, lifecycle management, predictive maintenance and security testing, as well as other use cases, digital twins offer a data-driven approach that can inform strategic decision-making and help companies adapt their network strategies to changing demands. Having the ability to simulate a physical network in the cloud, monitor network and device performance in real time, detect and prevent potential issues, and trial or stress test new services before deploying them onto the physical network gives ISPs greater flexibility and agility, and a competitive edge in the marketplace.
AXON DigitalTWIN is a key component of AXON Orchestrator, the platform where AXON Networks brings all the elements of the network together so they can be managed cohesively.
DigitalTWIN provides real-time network state monitoring and control from cloud-based applications and services on the network, giving ISPs the ability to manage their network effectively and to anticipate the results of changes to the network. AXON DigitalTWIN creates a virtual version of the network in the private, public, and hybrid cloud computing environments, replicating every state of the physical network edge into the cloud in real time. When the physical network and its corresponding digital twin in the cloud are in sync, ISPs are one step closer to the realization of Intent-Based Networking (IBN).
“AXON DigitalTWIN and its ability to see everything that’s happening on the physical network in the cloud gives our customers valuable, intelligent data in real time,” says AXON Networks founder and CEO Martin Manniche. “That insight has numerous benefits to ISPs, including the opportunity to differentiate by delivering more agile and innovative services, shorter time to market for those services, and lower capex and opex costs.”
AXON DigitalTWIN works on any network architecture and doesn’t require an investment in new hardware or proprietary devices. It’s able to ingest data from a network’s legacy devices via its highly optimized, secure protocol and provide continuous network analytics based on real-time data. Edge-to-cloud network virtualization provides real-time vision into the state of the network, as well as continuous monitoring of network functions and configured devices. It also enables a “continuous learning” network and self-healing capabilities.
In addition to real-time insight into the network, AXON DigitalTWIN gives operators the ability to test, deploy and configure new network functions and services in the cloud before launching them on the physical network. AXON DigitalTWIN also provides real-time communication between the cloud and the consumer’s home for on-demand network updates, monitoring and expanded service offerings.
How else is AXON different?
AXON Networks brings a fragmented market together
AXON Networks is driving the simplicity of networking and giving ISPs the ability to monitor and manage their networks more effectively and to differentiate themselves from their competitors with new services and greater customer satisfaction.
The networking industry is fragmented. There are multiple solution providers out there, but every one of them is focused on their own particular niche, whether that’s the home network, the metro network, or the core network. AXON Networks is the only provider that can bring every network segment together in a hybrid network architecture, defragmenting the network and orchestrating all segments from end to end. Together, AXON DigitalTWIN and AXON Orchestrator provide a powerful tool for network management, optimization and innovation, and enable ISPs to manage their networks better and deliver more reliable services to their customers.
“AXON DigitalTWIN and AXON Orchestrator are laying the foundation of next-generation residential networking,” says Martin. “Residential networking is becoming all about the quality of service, and more importantly, the quality of the customer experience. We’re virtualizing for the long term and helping operators innovate faster, scale their networks more efficiently, and future proof their networks against tomorrow’s network challenges.”