Deploying NFV in the data center is more eco-friendly than replacing hardware, and it will help telcos comply with regulations, Orange Silicon Valley research scientist says.

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

September 17, 2014

2 Min Read
Orange: NFV Is the Green Data Center Choice

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- NFV & the Data Center -- Virtualization can make data centers a lot more dynamic, but an added benefit is it's also the greenest choice for an operator, according to Orange Silicon Valley's senior research scientist.

Speaking here on Tuesday, Christos Kolias, a senior research scientist at Orange Silicon Valley, explained how NFV can bring the most energy efficiency to a data center, which is a top consideration in these massive, power-hungry facilities. It may not be the primary driver to deploy NFV, but it's a positive side effect, and also helps telcos on the regulatory front.

"You have to dispose of telecom hardware, but when we move things into software, it becomes more eco-friendly," Kolias said. "It might be easier to start implanting NFV in the data center because you have less compliance to deal with."

Figure 1: Orange & Dilbert With the help of Dilbert, Kolias explains why having a cloud-based data center can be a scary thing. With the help of Dilbert, Kolias explains why having a cloud-based data center can be a scary thing.

For all the coverage from NFV & the Data Center, go to dedicated show site here on Light Reading.

Kolias also cited other benefits of "cloudification" -- a term he admitted he hates. For example, consolidating multiple physical network infrastructures in a cloud-based EPC can lead to less complexity in the network and produce better scalability and flexibility for service providers in support of new business models, he noted.

In his work at Orange's Silicon Valley, the French operator's US subsidiary, Kolias has helped put together a number of proof-of-concepts with Orange's vendors to showcase what NFV can do in the data center. (See Orange on the Partner Hunt in Silicon Valley and Telcos Report From NFV Front Lines.)

The next step beyond PoCs, he said, is to make sure they can match the performance that hardware delivers and do it at scale. The company is already working on these type of virtualized platforms at its test bed in San Francisco, but Kolias said they are far from commercial ready. (See Google's Andromeda Relieves Cloud Strain.)

"To me, performance is still a question mark," he said on a panel later in the day. "What do we need to do that? Google with Andromeda platform says latency is not an issue… We know we can get there, but what will it take? 2020 is a bit aggressive to expect everything to be virtualized."

— Sarah Reedy, Senior Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Sarah Thomas

Director, Women in Comms

Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.

She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.

As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.

Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.

Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.

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