Cloud service provider Juniper Networks have announced a new software solution called Contrail Edge Cloud to allow cloud service providers to deploy new revenue-generating services at the network edge. With this launch, Juniper seeks to bring full-fledged secure cloud experience to space- and power-constrained edge network, which includes base stations, hub sites and switching sites.
According to Juniper, the demand for connectivity and the need to continually invent new revenue sources have driven cloud service providers to decentralize their network architecture and move latency-sensitive applications and services from the core to the edge.
They claim that these providers face challenges in terms of deploying edge architectures that would prove costly from the capex and opex point of view.
By launching Contrail Edge Cloud, Juniper will leverage the product’s software-defined capabilities to provide advanced container networking, security and service chaining facilities to create, manage and monetize new services for 5G.
They further added that the software product will help cloud providers to remotely manage life-cycles of computer nodes and virtual machines, allow more applications to be deployed on their platforms, deliver seamless network fabrics within virtual machines and provide network visibility through a single unified software.
Julius Francis, Director of Product Management and Marketing at Juniper Networks, commented:
This is the industry’s only production-grade solution that extends the full suite of orchestration, automation, security and analytics to the edge.
Juniper has been the pioneer in bringing engineering simplicity to eliminate complexities in all parts of the network — now we are bringing engineering simplicity to the edge cloud.
We keep orchestration and management capabilities more centralized so service providers can seamlessly manage thousands of these edge cloud locations.
It looks like the network and cloud providers are teaming up to boost their edge services. It is evident from this launch as well as the alliance between LightEdge and OnRamp that providers are willing to meet enhanced security needs of cloud-native customers that have hosted critical applications.