EXFO and ADVA push the boundaries of automated SD-WAN managed services

Combining best-of-breed applications and an open virtualization platform for an integrated zero-touch offering

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - EXFO Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO) (TSX: EXF), the network test, monitoring and analytics experts, and ADVA, a leading provider of open networking solutions for the delivery of cloud and mobile services, announced the integration of EXFO's NFV Service Assurance solution with the ADVA Ensemble open virtualization suite. The fully integrated and automated solution provides communications service providers (CSPs) and their customers with the necessary control, visibility and flexibility to unleash the true value of managed software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) services.

"Managed SD-WAN represents a tremendous growth opportunity for CSPs looking to transform their network from physical to virtual and to drive new revenue," said Prayson Pate, CTO of ADVA's Ensemble division. "For CSPs to reap the expected benefits from deploying SD-WAN services, they need to break free from the numerous constraints of single-vendor solution lock-in and build their solution with commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware hosting best-in-class open-source network functions virtualization (NFV) software. That's what we are offering with Ensemble and our partnership with EXFO."

"Enhancing service quality will be critical to successfully transition to this environment," noted Claudio Mazzuca, Vice-President - Systems & Analytics at EXFO. "The nature of an open, VNF-based solution requires a different approach to network and service assurance since service quality can no longer be inferred solely from network and equipment quality metrics provided by the VNF vendors themselves. By including EXFO's active service assurance vProbe VNFs in the service chain, the service orchestrator can automatically test and verify a service before turning it over to the customer and can implement end-to-end service monitoring, based on policy or operational needs. Automating these functions is the only way to address the anticipated scaling of new services."

By combining their industry-leading SD-WAN orchestration and orchestrated service assurance solutions, ADVA and EXFO overcome these challenges and enable CSPs to deliver on the promise of SD-WAN—a fully managed, lower-cost, open enterprise WAN solution that delivers a better quality of experience than appliance-based solutions.

"The industry needs neutral management and monitoring solutions that avoid vendor lock-in to achieve the benefits of agile, reliable service delivery in the SD-WAN domain," said Patrick Kelly, Founder and Principal Analyst at Appledore Research. EXFO and ADVA will bring a joint solution offering needed to automate and deliver real-time performance data on dynamic network capacity to drive closed-loop optimization."

About EXFO
EXFO develops smarter network test, monitoring and analytics solutions for the world's leading communications service providers, network equipment manufacturers and webscale companies. Since 1985, we've worked side by side with our customers in the lab, field, data center, boardroom and beyond to pioneer essential technology and methods for each phase of the network lifecycle. Our portfolio of test orchestration and real-time 3D analytics solutions turns complex into simple and delivers business-critical insights from the network, service and subscriber dimensions. Most importantly, we help our customers flourish in a rapidly transforming industry where "good enough" testing, monitoring and analytics just aren't good enough anymore—they never were for us, anyway. For more information, visit EXFO.com and follow us on the EXFO Blog.

About ADVA Optical Networking
ADVA Optical Networking is a company founded on innovation and driven to help our customers succeed. For over two decades, our technology has empowered networks across the globe. We're continually developing breakthrough hardware and software that leads the networking industry and creates new business opportunities. It's these open connectivity solutions that enable our customers to deliver the cloud and mobile services that are vital to today's society and for imagining new tomorrows. Together, we're building a truly connected and sustainable future. For more information on how we can help you, please visit us at: www.advaoptical.com.

Application note:
http://www.exfo.com/en/resources/technical-documentation/application-notes/operationalizing-carrier-managed-sd-wan-deployments/

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SOURCE EXFO inc.