As corporations continue to adopt cloud services, CommSPs are replacing multiple fixed-function appliances with virtual CPEs (vCPEs) that promise to improve service provisioning and reduce CapEx and OpEx costs. With a single platform, companies can support WAN routing, virtual private network, firewall, intrusion prevention system, session border control, carrier-grade network address translation, Wi-Fi, and software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) from central or remote locations. Given the opportunity, it’s no surprise that IDC expects worldwide spending on vCPE infrastructure hardware and software to reach $3 billion by 2021.
Through our ecosystem enabling program, Intel® Network Builders, we’ve sparked product and solution innovations to accelerate technology readiness from core NFV infrastructure (NFVI) to network edge applications. We launched Intel® Select Solution for NFVI and Intel® Select Solutions Fast Track Kit for NFVI in October, and a wave of companies have introduced pre-configured NFVI solutions that met or exceeded performance and quality benchmarks.
Today, we are taking this experience to the far edge of the network with Intel® Select Solutions for uCPE. We have delivered a reference design and “recipe” for verified uCPE solutions that CommSPs can trust to deliver at least a specified level of performance, and the ecosystem can use as a foundation for innovation. We expect to make adoption and integration of uCPE applications easier and faster by integrating and verifying the optimal settings most commonly used by uCPE equipment providers.
We are excited to announce that Advantech, Lanner, Premier, Silicom and SuperMicro have committed to deliver Intel Select Solutions for uCPE in the coming months.
Verified uCPE Configurations from Intel Network Builders Ecosystem
Intel and members of the Intel Network Builders ecosystem have already deployed many uCPE functions, such as SD-WAN, on the Intel architecture, including the Intel® Xeon® D-2100 system-on-chip (SoC) processor.
Launched in February 2018, the Intel Xeon D-2100 extends the record-breaking performance and innovation of the Intel® Xeon®Scalable platform to specifically address data center or network applications with space and power constraints, including network edge use cases. This processor family offers lower total cost of ownership for space-constrained uCPE solutions.
Based on the Intel architecture, the Intel Select Solutions for uCPE reference design and brand deliver multiple benefits to CommSPs, Enterprises, telecommunications equipment manufacturers (TEMs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), ISVs and System Integrators.
- Standardization on Intel architecture reduces time and effort required to identify and implement optimizations for specific workloads, including testing, validation, benchmarking, and documentation.
- Configurations are tested and delivered by Intel Network Builders ecosystem partners and CommSPs, and verified by Intel. The Intel Select Solutions for uCPE brand means that CommSPs and Enterprise customers can be confident that these configurations are optimized for uCPE and SD-WAN use cases. This simplifies the evaluation process and may reduce implementation times and total cost of ownership.
- OEMs, TEMs, ISVs and SIs can confidently approach RFPs with a proven record of solution performance against recognized, optimal benchmarks.
- ISVs and System Integrators can quickly align with OEM solutions.
- Supports multiple routes to market via OEM or channel with Intel Xeon D-2100 as the underlying processor platform, freeing product development teams to focus on higher-level features and competitive differentiation.
Collective Solutions for Today’s Network Opportunities
Collaboration is at the heart of our efforts to advance network transformation across the core, access, network edge and cloud. Just as the Intel Select Solutions brand has helped accelerate collaboration and innovation in NFVI, we expect the same with initiatives focused on the network edge.
We are tackling the most pressing architectural challenges facing CommSPs and the companies that support them. We are focused on delivering meaningful technical and business value today, while also laying the foundation for 5G in the coming years.
We invite you to visit https://networkbuilders.intel.com/ to learn how you can get involved, or download the Intel Select Solutions for uCPE solution brief.