VMware Drives Communication Service Provider Cloud Transformation with Comprehensive Network Functions Virtualization Initiative

BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwired - October 13, 2015) -

• Generally Available VMware® vCloud NFV™ Simplifies Adoption of a Multi-Function, Multi-Vendor NFV Platform
• VMware Ready™ for NFV Program Validates Interoperability with NFV Partner Solutions
• VMware and Partners Deliver Carrier-Grade Support Services to Meet Unique Requirements of CSPs

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced new network functions virtualization (NFV) offerings to help communications services providers (CSPs) accelerate their implementations of NFV. Today's announcement includes the general availability of the VMware vCloud® NFV™ platform, a new VMware Ready™ for NFV accreditation program and new carrier-grade services delivered by VMware and VMware partners. These solutions and partnerships will be featured this week at VMworld® 2015 Europe in Barcelona.

Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are transforming their businesses with NFV that helps them lower costs considerably and enables rapid and agile service innovation. In doing so, they aim to reverse the trend of margin erosion driven by the high cost of infrastructure and lack of service differentiation. Two primary models of NFV deployment have emerged, one based on custom software stacks and the other based on a common virtualization platform. A recent whitepaper published by ACG Research⁽¹⁾concludes that in the long run the common platform model advocated by VMware has much more agility and cost savings at scale.

"A common platform approach supports a sustainable business model and is the only approach that breaks the linear connection between growth and cost, freeing operators to innovate at speed and scale," said Michael Kennedy, principal analyst for ACG Research. "The low-cost NFV nodes of the common platform and ability to produce sustained labor productivity and asset efficiency gains are shown to achieve payback in under a year and produce more than 350 percent ROI over five years."

VMware vCloud NFV - A Unified, Multi-Function, Multi-Vendor Platform

VMware vCloud NFV brings together the core virtualization and management components required to accelerate NFV deployment. VMware vCloud NFV enables CSPs to deploy a unified, multi-vendor and multi-function NFV platform that supports any application at all stages of cloud evolution. The vCloud NFV platform supports more than 40 virtual network functions from 30 different virtualized network functions (VNF) vendors, the most of any solution on the market. The platform enables IT to leverage existing skills and operational experience with VMware virtualization, providing a faster and smoother implementation and ongoing management of Telco clouds. VMware vCloud NFV includes the following components: