For years, software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualisation (NFV) have symbolised innovative change in the network industry, using software to turn classic network business upside down. New, innovative approaches offering tremendous agility and savings have come to the market, changing the way we deploy, operate and maintain networks. In the area of WAN connectivity, new software-based solutions offer significant improvements to areas such as automation, visibility and defence. In this tech blog, we would like to introduce you to the benefits of software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) technology, which helps service providers to evolve their WAN connectivity offerings.

Since decoupling networking hardware from its software was identified as an enabler for the move from traditionally rigid, cost-intensive network components and related network functions to agile, flexible resource deployment, the virtualisation of network functions has become a prominent way to cope with the demands of both the near and distant future in the field of networking. On the whole, virtualisation techniques can be classified into two main categories, resulting in a division between Hypervisor-based and Non-Hypervisor-based techniques. In this tech blog, we focus on the basics of Hypervisor-based concepts.

This blog post – written by guest blogger Jodie Hoare from our technology partner Infinera – looks at how German utility company Stadtwerke Neumünster (SWN) is driving broadband expansion in the northernmost state in Germany.

In this tech blog, we explain selected Artificial Intelligence (AI) use cases in cybersecurity, like a sandboxing solution to identify malware or malicious domains or the analysis of characteristics in HTTP headers to identify unique patterns of command-and-control behaviour. In addition to this, we also mention some prerequisites and impacts for security architectures.

As we wrote in our first part of the tech blog series “AI in Cybersecurity”, the term Artificial Intelligence is currently ubiquitous. But many do not know the difference or the delimitations between Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL). Therefore, it is beneficial to define some terms and concepts as strictly speaking they are often used as the same although their meaning is different.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already a hot topic in public discourse, but the fact remains that almost all experts see a great deal of potential for AI to solve issues in the Cybersecurity space. On the other hand, hackers are also taking advantage of new approaches that AI affords and at this point, the key question is how significant the potential and impact of this new technology is.

With the help of test automation and load simulations, network operators can perform the vast majority of necessary tests entirely automatically. This can reduce the risks associated with, for example, the introduction of a new operating system into production environments to an unavoidable minimum. Xantaro uses its many years of expertise in this environment and has developed a solution to perform such tests, without being limited to specific vendors and technologies.

With the introduction of the new MX204 at the end of 2017, Juniper Networks added a new device to their Universal Routing Platform which filled the gap for the small form factor needs without reducing the full feature set of the “big-boxes”. Within this tech blog, we would like to highlight the details and benefits of the brand-new full-featured Edge-Router MX204 from Juniper Networks. The MX204 platform offers ultra-high density and throughput in a compact one-rack unit form factor.

We would like to deepen a combined on-premise and cloud solution provided by NETSCOUT Arbor. The Arbor Availability Protection System (APS) is a dedicated, on-premise inline device which provides continuous monitoring of in- and outbound traffic at the WAN edge. The device can detect and mitigate complex, state-exhausting and application-layer DDoS attacks and is feed with the newest threats.

We would like to introduce StableNet® – a single-platform, unified management solution designed to address today’s numerous operational and technical challenges of managing distributed and mission-critical IT infrastructures. The platform offers a highly automated Network Management System (NMS) with a focus on configuration, fault, and performance management and enables you to tame the complexity of your service infrastructure through a single platform.

DDoS is not a new phenomenon, and it became widely known through the volumetric attacks of the early 2000s. Due to the armament of attackers and diversity of threats, much more needs to be considered when protecting businesses against these attacks today. Even Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) do not provide adequate protection at this point, and they are often themselves the target.

Testing of new systems has become a crucial element in scalable and complex network architectures. This is why we at Xantaro have always invested in the testing capabilities of our famous XT3Lab located in Frankfurt. Our lab allows us to simulate our customers’ complex network scenarios or to test latest technologies before they implement them in their production networks.

It's no secret that Arista has in the past focused on data centre switching. As of late, this constellation has changed with the release of the 7500R series in March 2016, because Arista is now also targeting the routing market. The most recent technological developments in the data centres mean that Arista also has to implement routing functionality which it does with its R-Series. In our XT³Lab we have checked the platform's routing features and interoperability.

Within the Telco industry, we can see a massive demand for Cloud-based services. This forces cloud service providers (cloud SPs) to heavily invest in their data centre and network infrastructures to keep pace with this development. Evolving the capacity scaling within providers' data centre interconnections (DCI) leads to many challenges. One of these difficulties is to reduce costs while having enlarged equipment density. The Infinera Cloud Xpress 2 is designed to meet these challenges, enabling cloud service providers to build and efficiently scale their secure metro cloud fabrics.

With its SDSN architecture and functionality, Juniper Networks provides a modern cybersecurity platform that centrally and automatically averts threats. Today's business networks typically span multiple locations and clouds. At the same time, networks are continually being developed to meet new requirements. On the other hand, cybercriminals are continuously developing new methods to penetrate the highly complex networks.

So far, CFP or CFP2 optical transceivers have been the only way to implement a coherent digital transmission of 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100GbE) data traffic with optics and over long distances in the embedded DWDM approach. Using the PAM4 modulation method and the newly developed PAM4 optics we now have an alternative to operate 100G DWDM with the attractive QSFP28 form factor.

BGP-LS is a promising approach for SDN in Wide Area Networks (WAN). This video gives an overview on how it works and what advantages service providers may benefit from.

Scalability, the physical network integration and functionalities of ToR switches are the challenges of today's data centres. In addition, the flexibility introduced by computing virtualization is somehow thwarted by "classical network". This video explains and demonstrates how these challenges can be mastered using Juniper Networks Contrail solution.

There are many facets of SDN implementation. What exactly it means depends on the type of problem you try to solve. Sebastian Graf, Solutions Architect at Xantaro, explains the advantages of Software Defined Networking from a technical perspective and gives an idea of the layered approach within the SDN architecture.