Oracle Communications Advances Network Function Virtualization by Delivering Carrier-Grade Data Center Performance

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - Mar 25, 2015) - ORACLE INDUSTRY CONNECT -- Oracle (NYSE: ORCL) -- In a move to transform their networks, many communications service providers (CSPs) are starting to transition from their traditional appliance-based network functions to a virtualized, software-based model -- also known as network function virtualization (NFV). The promise of this approach is more service agility and lower operational costs. But virtualization had yet to prove that it can deliver the same network speed and reliability performance provided by traditional network appliances -- until now. Working with Intel and leveraging Enhanced Platform Awareness in OpenStack, Oracle Communications has delivered the industry's first successful demonstration of carrier-grade network performance in a virtualized environment.

The project, led by Oracle and using the Intel® Open Network Platform (ONP), demonstrates that CSPs can realize more of the promise of NFV. Specifically, the initiative proves that by intelligently directing network activity to the Intel® processor, CSPs will have more capabilities in software that were previously limited to hardware. In turn, this means that CSPs could maintain service quality levels and develop new offers for customers as soon as CSPs begin to migrate their network functions to the data center.

"This initiative does more than just optimize Oracle Communications products for the Intel® Open Network Platform," said Liam Maxwell, vice president of products for Oracle Communications. "It takes the theory of delivering carrier-grade capabilities in a commercial data center and turns it into reality. We've proven that we can orchestrate services and network functions from the top of the management and orchestration (MANO) stack all the way to individual network processors, and we can do it at scale."

"The Intel® Open Network Platform server combines industry-leading server architecture with open source software to enable quicker delivery of NFV solutions. Our work with Oracle demonstrates how a powerful server can act as the catalyst for end-to-end NFV orchestration," said John Healy, general manager, Software Defined Networking Division, Network Platforms Group, Intel Corporation.