Service Delivery Networking for Next-Gen Infrastructures

Editor's Notes

1. The key challenge Service Providers face today is the exponential growth in data across their networks. Users are demanding rich and heavy content on their devices from content providers and service provider networks are stuck in the middle. As users buy new IP-enabled devices – smartphones, tablets, netbooks, and even solid state devices such as IP-enabled DVD players – they’re using these devices to pull more and more data. And likewise the availability of streaming “always on” data is driving the device market. And most of this data is video. According to one study, in 2011 upwards of 500 petabytes/month of mobile data will be video. A few months ago I was in the market for a new DVD player. My #1 requirement in choosing a model was that it be able to stream Netflix. I ended up with a Blu-Ray player that does stream Netflix, in addition to pulling real-time data from Blu-Ray content over the Internet. My DVD player is taxing my broadband network. And this trend is only going to grow. Most modern DVD players are IP-enabled; most new TVs are IP-enabled; all new game systems are IP-enabled. All new media devices are IP-enabled, and connected to service provider networks. And this is a model we’re seeing repeated over and over again with iPhones, Droids, iPads, Netbooks, DVD players, game consoles, even TVs; all of these are IP-enabled devices capable of pulling high quality (and high bandwidth!) content over carrier networks. Eventually these devices will be tied together to provide an all-encompassing experience; users will sit on their couches and stream content to their smartphones related to content they’re watching live or streaming to their TVs. ESPN fantasy football updates will happen real-time during the game, and users will continually be pushing and pulling heavy data through multiple devices. But most users don’t realize that the service provider is stuck in the middle. These providers are the ones that have to provide the pipes for our YouTube videos, for our Skype VoIP calls, for our limitless Facebook picture uploads and updates. User’s just know they want content when they want it where they want it, and that’s driving them to mobile and wired providers for access. The increasing demand for bandwidth comes right at a time when intense price competition is driving down average revenue per user (ARPU). And the demands on bandwidth are only going to increase, as both new and existing subscribers start to make use of more and more converged services.It’s not simply about giving all subscribers the best bandwidth that is available, because that will be prohibitively expensive. Instead,
2. One major reason for this opex and capex growth is multiple point solutions and segmented networks. This especially impacts operational complexity and costs.Disparate single-point products isolated between services. Redundant functions, expensive and complex to manage, and ultimately extremely expensive. And this isn’t by design: this is an evolved architecture that’s been created to deal with new services as the market demands. OTT video has driven up…quickly…etc…
3. The solution to bridging the gap between rising costs and steady ARPU needs to be a unified solution, a strategic point of control, that covers all parts of the operational service provider network – an intelligent device that has transparency throughout the service provider network between all users, all devices, all core services, and all external OTT data streams for those users. Intelligence needs to be elevated from layer 3 to layer 7. F5’s BIG-IP controllers serve as a strategic point of control that combines scalability and high-availability with intelligent and versatile policy-based control over all traffic, giving carriers and service providers the ability to satisfy changing market needs profitably.The combination of subscriber, device, location and application awareness enables intelligent, centralized control over traffic resources to ensure that each service is delivered exactly as intended, protected from security threats, congestion, and failures. BIG-IP moves the decision making away from layer 3 PRBs (Policy Based Routers) and into layer 7; more intelligent policy decision can be made at layer 7 with BIG-IP, eliminating the need for PBRs. For each one of these solutions, the Policy management platform doesn’t change: F5 provides a unified service platform for all carrier IP solutions, both at the edge and in the core. This strategic point of control that integrates user, device, network, and service decisions into one platform with transparency is what will be required for next-gen user-driven services. For example, I may want to pay for the minimum data plan on my tablet device, 250Mb/month, because I only use that to stream Netflix, and then pay a premium for unlimited all-I-can-eat video services, an extra $5/month. In order for the provider to offer that level of granular service tiering, they need to implement a single strategic point of control. Or maybe a business user wants to have full guaranteed bandwidth for email services but doesn’t stream any video at all. He can pay a premium for unlimited email from any domain but is limited on how much video he can stream. A strategic point of control is the key requirement for ala carte service plans, giving full flexibility to users on how they consume their data and how they pay for it.
4. GTM - Intelligent & Dynamic DNS Services for HA, DR, Geolocation, Optimization and SecurityEdge - High performance secure & accelerated network and application sessions from any location on any device for any type of user. Very granular network & application access controlWOM-High performance DC to DC application and data optimizationWA-High performance asymmetric web acceleration with integrated application specific policiesAPM- centralized / unified web access management, SSO across all major directory servicesASM – high performance app fw protecting against OWASP top 10 and hundreds of other app attacks. Uses both positive and negative security models. Hyper intelligent and provides detailed app visibility with app specific policies
5. And what comes from those building blocks is a new system for delivering services to users and devices. A system that brings in a single point of control for policy management and enforcement, network management, service delivery management, and ultimately user experience management, decreasing OpEx out of the gate and CapEx long-term and new service devices are able to be scaled as needed. Unified service delivery for optimized delivery, reduced complexity and costs, and rapid provisioning of new premium services