Alcatel-Lucent plans to introduce new offering CloudBand, which brings together the computing power and flexibility of the cloud with the high performance, reliability and security of communications networks.
With CloudBand, communications service providers can create a new level of ‘business class’ cloud services that are delivered using secure, reliable, high-performance and the new level of service will offer lower latency, better control of bandwidth and the ability to provide a guaranteed quality of service, all of which are necessary to meet the stringent performance demands of consumers and enterprises.
CloudBand is comprised of CloudBand Management System and CloudBand Node. CloudBand Management System delivers orchestration and optimisation of services between the communications network and the cloud and CloudBand Node provides the computing, storage and networking hardware and associated software to host a wide range of cloud services.
With the CloudBand, communications service providers can deliver networking services from the cloud and can ‘virtualise’ many of the critical elements of their networks by converting them into software which is run in the cloud and accessed on demand as needed to address shifts in customer usage patterns.
CloudBand orchestrates the network, computing and data storage elements distributed throughout the network and this orchestration capability can be expanded beyond the service provider’s network to help manage access to a wide array of public and private clouds.
In addition, CloudBand supports the adoption and transformation of Alcatel-Lucent’s own platforms and applications to a cloud-based architecture and these applications are also offered as a service from Alcatel-Lucent’s cloud to carriers; 18 million subscribers are currently being served through this initiative.
Alcatel-Lucent’s Software Services & Solutions Group president Adolfo Hernandez said the company believes communications service providers are in the best position to deliver the quality and security they expect, making them the cloud provider of choice for the enterprise world.
"The network makes the cloud, and communications service providers own the networks. That’s a very powerful combination," said Hernandez.
