Netcracker Technology, an NEC company, announced recently that industry research firm Current Analysis has named Netcracker a “leader” in network functions virtualization (NFV) management and orchestration (MANO), a critical component necessary for service providers who want to define, instantiate and manage network infrastructure and services in the cloud. This is Current Analysis’ first formal assessment of vendor MANO offerings, detailed in the report, “NFV MANO: Competitive Dynamics and Solution Assessments,” written by David Snow.
The report can be downloaded here: http://www.netcracker.com/currentanalysis-nfvmano.
Current Analysis evaluated nine vendors in five categories with 15 specific attributes subjectively graded as comparatively strong, weak or average. An overall assessment was then provided and each vendor was graded as “vulnerable,” “competitive,” “strong,” “very strong” or “leader.”
Netcracker emerged as the only “leader” in the evaluation due to its technology functionality, sophisticated approach to security and licensing, as well as its flexibility in enabling service providers to onboard virtualized network functions (VNFs) from partners with ease. Along with NEC, Netcracker has created the Agile Virtualized Platform and Practice (AVP) to address the functions mentioned above and all other stages of virtualized network deployment and management for service providers.
As announced earlier this year, AVP is a set of unique tools, platforms and services developed to accelerate and ease the adoption and commercialization of software-defined networking (SDN) and NFV. While acknowledging AVP’s role in this NFV MANO evaluation, Snow writes in the report that “there can be little doubt as to its comprehensiveness in providing a platform capable of supporting almost every aspect of the carrier journey.”
You can find out more about AVP by visiting http://www.netcracker.com/avp.
“Choosing a futureproof MANO solution is a major challenge for service providers because of the diverse requirements such solutions have to fulfill,” said Ari Banerjee, Senior Director of Strategy at Netcracker. “Because this space is relatively new, there are a limited amount of unbiased vendor assessments out there. What Current Analysis has done here is remarkable because it gives operators a baseline to assess and select MANO solutions that have been exhaustively assessed across several major points of differentiation.”
“The results of our first solution-level assessment of vendor NFV MANO offerings really reiterates the competitive nature of this space and the ongoing tug-of-war between vendors with network and IT backgrounds,” said David Snow, Principal Analyst of IP Services Infrastructure at Current Analysis. “This report helps service providers get a head start in their MANO vendor selection process and Netcracker can be proud of its early leadership position. At the same time, both service providers and vendors should note that this is a long race and there are many factors which will shape the market over the next few years.”
For more information on Netcracker’s MANO solutions, please contact Joanna Larivee at [email protected]
About Netcracker Technology
Netcracker Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, is a forward-looking software company, offering mission-critical solutions to service providers around the globe. Our comprehensive portfolio of software solutions and professional services enables large-scale digital transformations, unlocking the opportunities of the cloud, virtualization and the changing mobile ecosystem. With an unbroken service delivery track record of more than 20 years, our unique combination of technology, people and expertise helps companies transform their networks and enable better experiences for their customers.
For more information, visit www.netcracker.com.