Network as a service explained.
At its core NaaS bundles the hardware and software of an enterprises network into a single product, and makes it available on a subscription basis.
Rather than invest the capex and human resource into managing network infrastructure by itself, an organisation using a network as a service model can outsource the interconnection of its clouds, applications and devices, ensure they are secure and ensure they are always finetuned for the optimal outcome.
Why is network as a service important?
Network as a service is important because it represents a shift in the way that enterprises interact with connectivity.
As digital transformation and hybrid and multi-cloud adoption increases at pace across the world, network infrastructure is becoming more and more complex.
This is exacerbated by remote work and enterprises networks becoming more dispersed.
As a result the cost and time spent managing network infrastructure is simply becoming uneconomical. A common analogy is if a startup were to begin operations today, would it start building its own sewers and plumbing to make sure its office had fresh water?
Obviously not. Network as a service aims to make the same true for connectivity. Why should a new business spend time, effort and money on its own networking to make sure it has connectivity, when it could simply subscribe to a service and scale it as it connects more devices, or flushes more toilets.
What are the benefits of network as a service to an enterprise?
Using a network as a service model simplifies networking for enterprises, while also boosting security. The alternatives to a network as a service model are to use the unreliable and insecure public internet, or to invest manpower, time effort and money into building complex private networking solutions.
Bundling services like cloud access, transport networks and cyber security into a network as a service model simplifies workflows and offers a consistent service through pre-agreed KPI’s and service level agreements (SLAs).
In addition, the scalability and on demand nature of a network as a service solution means that if additional bandwidth is temporarily required, the organisation can seamlessly order more capacity and only pay for it when they are actually using it.
NaaS also allows enterprises to offload the planning and day-to-day operations of its network to a NaaS provider, which means software upgrades monitoring and troubleshooting are taken care of in an automated fashion, increasingly with the use of AI.
How does the NaaS ecosystem work?
An enterprise consuming a network as a service solution does so via a network as a service provider.
These providers act as the gateway between the enterprise and all the services, solutions and technology that the enterprise uses.
In some instance the network as a service provider owns its own infrastructure, but it also grants access to other solution providers via API’s into its own platform.
For example an enterprise will connect to the NaaS provider via lifecycle service orchestration and operational API’s, which will in turn connect to wholesale operators, data centres, hyperscalers, and technology providers via another set of API’s and Blockchain technology.
Automation and the seamless flow of services between these various ecosystem players is essential to the deployment of effective NaaS solutions.
As such, industry bodies such as TM Forum and MEF are developing standards and API’s that can support the software defined networking required to deliver the promises of NaaS.
These include use cases such as ordering new connectivity routes, increasing bandwidth and adding additional cloud-based security solutions, in addition to automated billing and settlement.
Cloud and software as a service (SaaS) providers use a huge range of API’s and making sure that enterprises can access and use them themselves adds a level of complexity that NaaS removes.
NaaS providers can create an API end point that harmonises the experience for the enterprise, and while some internal development may be required, the NaaS platform does the majority of the heavy lifting.
