Total Network Experience with World-Class Network Connectivity
Network operators live in a paradoxical world. New services, solutions and applications that run on their networks are being developed at seemingly breakneck speeds. That’s good for the operator because those new services give them the opportunity to generate new revenue and differentiate themselves from their competitors. And it’s good for the end user because they give the user access to new use cases and the ability to do more on the network.
Unfortunately, most legacy networks and their software can’t keep up with the pace of new service innovation.
Networking operators recognize the increasing complexities of delivering world class new services using outdated software – software that limits their flexibility and the speed at which they can innovate – so they’re turning to new ways to build and manage those networks.
Some operators are investing in network modernization, refining their operations procedures, upgrading hardware, and adopting new networking technologies like 5G and fiber. Others are turning to cloud-based solutions like network functions virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) to increase flexibility, scale faster and enhance cybersecurity measures
SDN in particular allows operators to differentiate by delivering more agile and innovative services in a shorter time-to-market, with lower CAPEX and OPEX, and with unlimited third-party services in the cloud. SDN makes networks more flexible, scalable, and programmable by separating the control plane from the data plane and enabling the programming of network behavior in a centrally controlled manner through software applications using open APIs. By centralizing network control, network administrators can programmatically manage the network, set policies, and dynamically adjust network configurations as needed. As new network services and solutions are developed, network operators can onboard and deploy them faster.
Virtualization of Network Edges
AXON Networks brings enterprise-grade virtualization to residential networking and guides telcos and ISPs on the journey of network innovation and transformation. SDN is key to that journey. We’ve been investing in SDN for more than ten years as part of our mission to shape the future of broadband connectivity and drive the simplicity of networking.
At the core of all we do is AXON Orchestrator, our unique software platform that brings all the elements of the network together for comprehensive real-time network visibility and seamless network management. With AXON Orchestrator, operators have access to a wealth of service options and customizations, and the ability to elevate performance over basic connectivity via end-to-end visibility of the entire network.
“The promise of software-defined networking is to reduce capital and operating expenses and make the network more programmable so you can roll out new services faster and on demand,” says Siddhartha Dattagupta, Chief Technology Officer at AXON Networks. “But it’s not enough to just deploy the service, you also need to be able to monitor and manage large amounts of network data in real time to maintain service assurance levels and quality of experience. AXON Orchestrator lives up to that promise.”
Embedded within AXON Orchestrator is AXON’s vEdge solution. vEdge is an SD-WAN solution that allows ISPs to virtualize their infrastructure and manage it from a centralized platform. This allows for greater flexibility and scalability in managing network traffic.
“vEdge enables real-time data processing and monitoring, collecting huge amounts of data parameters at the network edges,” says Sid. “Then it allows you to transport those data parameters into a compute system and process them in real time, extracting meaningful data sets, analyzing them, and creating a recommendation engine from them. That’s the fundamental promise of vEdge: to optimize data transport, collection, storage, and processing to reduce compute costs and maximize the value you get from those compute processes.”
How does that happen?
AXON vEdge Controller – AXON Orchestrator’s network service management platform creates a digital twin of the network in the cloud (private, public or hybrid) and delivers services through programmable network functions available on the physical network elements (for example, edge routers, CPEs, etc.). A closed-loop federated multi-tiered feedback system through the digital twin enables real-time monitoring and management of network and connected devices with service overlays.
All AXON vEdge-enabled devices on the network ingest data into the digital twin via a highly optimized and secure real-time protocol. Once the data is ingested, robust real-time network analytics monitor the network, detect any network anomalies, create error domain separation, and proactively deploy the solution. The system runs as a time-and-state-controlled closed-loop feedback control system with defined key performance and quality indexes (KPIs against SLAs) for consistent network service delivery.
“vEdge allows network operators to very quickly detect a fault, isolate the error domains, and reconfigure the network to correct the fault,” says Sid. “Not only does that enforce service level agreements efficiently and keep the network running, but it also translates into a direct savings on operational expenses.”
It’s the real-time data processing, compute at cost and issue remediation that set vEdge apart from other solutions, he says.
“Operators have traditionally relied on non-real-time systems because those systems run on intermittent data processing and require less compute and scalability needs. But such systems lose time sensitivity and criticality as the reaction time is not automated and often needs significant manual steps and processing. vEdge turns the network into a real-time programmable processing and monitoring system. It disrupts the non-real-time system paradigm that you find typically in the broadband networks today and gives operators the ability to grow and orchestrate their networks effectively.”
Building the next generation of residential networking
Sid says that mobile networks have traditionally done a better job than fixed networks integrating real-time data processing into their systems because fixed networks have way more legacy systems in place, making it harder for them to integrate new services. But that’s changing.
“Mobile networks have evolved from 4G LTE to 5G and the next generation of 5G with network slicing and ultra-low latency and everything else,” he says. “Real-time data processing is fundamental to those networks. Fixed networks, on the other hand, haven’t had the ability to do that. But with new fixed/mobile converged networks, the boundaries between fixed and mobile networks are going away and cost-effective real-time data processing is becoming very important for fixed networks as well.”
AXON Orchestrator and vEdge are helping operators bridge that gap further. By giving operators the ability to monitor and manage vast amounts of network data in real time, they can improve network performance and efficiency, maintain service levels and quality of service, and reduce operating and capital expenses.
Pair those capabilities with the power of SDN, and operators now have the ability to innovate faster and build the next generation of high-speed residential networks.
