1. Where's the Best Place to Host Virtual Network Functions for NFV?

Operators and suppliers both want to know if they should focus on hosting virtual functions at the edge of the network, at a central office or at a cloud data center. The answer is that all of these are valid, based on the available resources and the requirements of the service.Click here for a description of the options and tradeoffs.

2. How Can Virtual Services Meet the Required Carrier-Class Performance?

For NFV to meet its promise of replacing appliances it must meet and exceed the performance needed by today’s services. Doing so means using the latest technologies such as Intel’s DPDK and innovations such as Ensemble Carrier Ethernet from Overture. Click here and here for a detailed description of NFV performance.

3. How Much SDN Do Service Providers Need?

Some view SDN as the means to create a completely dynamic network. This approach is probably too complicated to build and provides too little value. A more realistic approach is to apply SDN to control overlay networks that maximize the reuse of today’s infrastructure.Click here for additional insight.

4. How Do We Create Dynamic New Services Using NFV?

Simply changing from a physical to a virtual environment can’t provide service innovation and new revenue, so what else is needed? Service agility enabled by NFV orchestration coupled with actionable intelligence is the key to boosting revenues. Click here to understand why orchestration is needed.

5. What Features Do Service Providers Need in an Orchestrator?

Service providers see the promise of NFV to enable innovative new services and revenue, but they also need a way to manage and control the virtual resources behind NFV. Orchestration is logical candidate for this application, but what features and capabilities should an orchestrator have? A short list includes compliance with ETSI NFV MANO, openness and flexibility, and awareness of both the virtual and physical worlds. Click hereand here for more on this topic.