Firewalls and routers can be added via software

Companies can now add routing and firewall capabilities via software, eliminating the need for specialised network appliances and on-site administration. Masergy’s software delivery model is akin to mobile app stores where consumers can download software to their smartphones, turning them into versatile devices to access the Internet, conduct video calls and monitor home security.

“Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) lets companies deploy network capabilities via software running on commodity hardware, but we’ve seen few commercial applications,”said Nav Chander, Research Manager, Enterprise Telecom, at IDC market research firm. “Masergy is one of the first communications service providers, to our knowledge, that has made this available to enterprises in the U.S.”

Virtual f(n) is part of M?asergy’s Managed Network f(n)??family of fully managed network services. Virtual f(n) joins Premise f(n) and Cloud f(n) to enable customers to mix and match deployment models and create agile, distributed network architectures that adapt to their changing business needs. Virtual f(n) works seamlessly with Premise f(n) and Cloud f(n) managed services.

“Virtual f(n) truly changes the way networks are architected by removing the management, cost and space requirements typically associated with physical network assets,” said Tim Naramore, CTO, Masergy. “Now, through a simple software download, our customers can add full-featured network services, without equipment shipments and on-site administration. This is the realisation of our vision of the programmable enterprise.”

Virtual f(n) is available to Masergy customers on 1st July and can be ordered on-line through the company’s Intelligent Service Control (ISC) portal. Customers who deploy the new VM-enabled Masergy Intelligent Bridge (MIB) can simply log into the portal to enter their requirements and Masergy will configure and deploy network functions to their desired locations on-the-fly.

Software-based Brocade routers and Fortinet firewalls are available immediately. Additional services, including session border controllers and WAN accelerators, will be released upon certification.