CenturyLink to deploy Nuage Networks SDN technology in Programmable Service Backbone

Nuage Networks, Alcatel-Lucent's (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) software-defined networking (SDN) technology venture, says it will supply its Virtualized Services Platform (VSP) to CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL). The service provider will use the software platform as part of its Programmable Services Backbone (PSB) SDN network architecture.

PSB is the centerpiece of CenturyLink's efforts to roll out virtualization capabilities across its network (see "CenturyLink expects full network virtualization by 2018"). The open, software-enabled architecture will deliver dedicated business services based on network functions virtualization (NFV) technology to enterprise and small and mid-sized business (SMB) customers.

CenturyLink had previously announced Nuage as a partner in the PSB effort. Other vendors involved in the effort include Arista Networks, Ciena (via its Cyan acquisition; see "CenturyLink tabs Cyan's Blue Planet to orchestrate NFV-enabled business services"), Red Hat, and Supermicro.

"With a focus on our customers, CenturyLink is transforming its network to offer businesses quick delivery of reliable and automated services, and is pushing those services where they are most needed – at the edge of our network," said Aamir Hussain, CenturyLink executive vice president and CTO via a Nuage press release. "This fundamental architectural shift will enable dynamic delivery of scalable services for customers and provide even more differentiated services in the future."

The VSP will provide CenturyLink with a variety of benefits, according to Nuage. For example, VSP unifies new virtualized services with VPN, co-location, and existing cloud services into a single entity for greater cloud services control, helping to make services available wherever the user is, Nuage says. The platform also integrates and interoperates with open source cloud platforms to coordinate compute, storage, and networking needs and automate network provisioning across the unified cloud. It also makes troubleshooting easier by maintaining a real-time inventory of virtual services, physical connectivity, and the correlation between them. Finally, it also provides consistent security, Nuage says.

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