Turn the Network Edge into a Distributed Cloud Data Center As mobile data consumption soars, MNOs are challenged to provide lower- latency service for real-time applications. At the same time, they are tasked with reducing the amount of mobile backhaul data to better manage costs. MNOs are turning to MEC solutions for innovative services that grow the top line and reduce costs. Smart-Edge.com has engineered its Smart Edge appliance to provide a built-in content delivery network, security features, and a VNF deployment—all leveraging Intel ® technology. With the Smart Edge MEC solution, MNOs can transform the network edge into a distributed cloud data center that will help lower costs, achieve greater service- deployment agility, provide a security-enabled solution, and deliver context- aware content. Harnessing the Power of MEC MEC is a new services architecture that delivers overlay IT and cloud-computing capabilities from servers deployed near mobile base stations, small cells, eNodeBs, and cloud RAN—including on-premises in an enterprise. MEC solutions utilize network functions virtualization (NFV) to deliver next-generation mobile media, voice and data services, and optimized local content distribution for consumers, retailers, enterprises, and other organizations. Able to host any cloud-based application, MEC servers are envisioned to support a wide range of uses. These include retail marketing and operations, enterprise applications involving machine-to-machine (M2M) learning and the Internet of Things (IoT), and consumer functions such as connected vehicles and augmented-reality games. MEC servers can also analyze network and application performance data and act on insights—without sending data to a remote cloud data center for processing. With real-time analytics, customers can improve application performance, accelerate responsiveness, decrease data-transmission costs, lower risks, and leverage context-aware content. Get real-time insight from Smart-Edge.com’s MEC platform: the Smart Edge appliance hosts virtualized network functions (VNFs) for customer enterprise services and boasts built-in content delivery network (CDN) intelligence for caching and distributing content. It can also collect and display service- quality analytics. With the Smart Edge™ multi-access edge computing (MEC) appliance powered by Intel ® processors, MNOs can provide next-generation mobile data services and applications. Computing at the network edge provides a fast response for users and enables carriers to offer new services while reducing mobile backhaul traffic. Smart Edge™ Captures the Value of the Edge for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) Solution brief
Transcript
Turn the Network Edge into a Distributed Cloud Data CenterAs mobile data consumption soars, MNOs are challenged to provide lower-latency service for real-time applications. At the same time, they are tasked with reducing the amount of mobile backhaul data to better manage costs.
MNOs are turning to MEC solutions for innovative services that grow the top line and reduce costs. Smart-Edge.com has engineered its Smart Edge appliance to provide a built-in content delivery network, security features, and a VNF deployment—all leveraging Intel® technology.
With the Smart Edge MEC solution, MNOs can transform the network edge into a distributed cloud data center that will help lower costs, achieve greater service-deployment agility, provide a security-enabled solution, and deliver context-aware content.
Harnessing the Power of MECMEC is a new services architecture that delivers overlay IT and cloud‐-computing capabilities from servers deployed near mobile base stations, small cells, eNodeBs, and cloud RAN—including on-premises in an enterprise. MEC solutions utilize network functions virtualization (NFV) to deliver next-generation mobile media, voice and data services, and optimized local content distribution for consumers, retailers, enterprises, and other organizations.
Able to host any cloud-based application, MEC servers are envisioned to support a wide range of uses. These include retail marketing and operations, enterprise applications involving machine-to‐-machine (M2M) learning and the Internet of Things (IoT), and consumer functions such as connected vehicles and augmented-reality games.
MEC servers can also analyze network and application performance data and act on insights—without sending data to a remote cloud data center for processing. With real-time analytics, customers can improve application performance, accelerate responsiveness, decrease data-transmission costs, lower risks, and leverage context-aware content.
Get real-time insight from Smart-Edge.com’s MEC platform: the Smart Edge appliance hosts virtualized network functions (VNFs) for customer enterprise services and boasts built-in content delivery network (CDN) intelligence for caching and distributing content. It can also collect and display service-quality analytics.
With the Smart Edge™ multi-access edge computing (MEC) appliance powered by Intel® processors, MNOs can provide next-generation mobile data services and applications. Computing at the network edge provides a fast response for users and enables carriers to offer new services while reducing mobile backhaul traffic.
Smart Edge™ Captures the Value of the Edge for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)
Solution brief
Solution Brief | Smart Edge™ Captures the Value of the Edge for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)
Get Real-Time Insight with Smart EdgeIntel® Network Builders partner Smart-Edge.com offers its Smart Edge MEC solution, which comprises its Smart Edge appliance and controller. As seen in Figure 1, the Smart Edge appliance software runs on a virtualized server based on Intel® architecture CPUs that sit in the mobile network last mile. The Smart Edge appliance hosts virtualized network functions (VNFs) for customer enterprise services and boasts built-in CDN intelligence for caching and distributing content. It can also collect and display service-quality analytics.
As well as providing a complete NFV environment that can support the addition of service-provisioning VNFs, the Smart Edge MEC platform integrates a built-in analytics probe to collect real-time statistics on data traffic, quality of service, and application analytics.
MEC Controller PlatformThe Smart Edge appliance relies on an IPsec-encrypted connection to the Smart Edge MEC controller platform. This software-defined networking (SDN) system integrates industry-standard 3GPP* serving gateway functionality. It also includes the custom developed Core Services Platform* (CSP*), a microservices-based management capability that leverages Representational State Transfer (REST) APIs to allow the controller to interact with Smart Edge nodes and applications.
With CSP, the network manager can control a wide range of functionality in the distributed Smart Edge nodes from a centralized management console. The other core services of the controller platform include:
• Life cycle and configuration management of appliance firmware and software (including the operating environment), core appliance software features, and third-party software
• Centralized reporting and capacity planning
Smart-Edge.com Partners with IntelSmart Edge appliances are powered by Intel® Xeon® processors, which are scalable, cost-effective, and provide the performance necessary for a variety of use cases. The processors are an intelligent platform for a fully virtualized, software-defined infrastructure that dynamically self-provisions resources based on workload needs. With Intel Xeon processors, Smart Edge appliances deliver a highly advanced compute core that enables communications networks to power through compute-hungry workloads. Those networks can also scale to meet the dynamic performance requirements increasingly seen in cloud services.
Smart Edge Use Cases
Localized and custom services
Acting as a cloud server at the edge of the wireless network, the Smart Edge MEC solution can provide low-latency access to enterprise cloud services. This is ideal for provisioning cloud services to small businesses, branch offices, and retail organizations.
Video caching and analytics
Enterprises and media companies are increasingly offering streaming video services. They host this content at the network edge for low-latency streaming, while the analytics probe collects video analytics for better video quality and customer satisfaction.
IoT/M2M applications and services
Smart Edge supports high-bandwidth, low-latency IoT/M2M applications that utilize LTE/Wi-Fi and other broadband networks. Uses include visual-recognition security applications in which real-time video analysis helps to detect situational anomalies.
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Solution Brief | Smart Edge™ Captures the Value of the Edge for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)
Smart Edge appliances take advantage of Intel® Trusted Execution Technology (Intel® TXT). Intel TXT verifies low-level software and firmware at launch time to help detect sophisticated attacks. It provides a verifiable chain of trust to allow critical applications to be hosted on “known good” systems. For fast encryption, the appliance leverages Intel® QuickAssist Technology (Intel® QAT), accelerating security and data-compression tasks, including the IPsec used for encrypted communications with the controller. With crypto and compression workload acceleration now handled by the integrated Intel QAT, more compute cores are available for revenue-generating network services.
About Smart EdgeSmart Edge was developed by ACS (US), Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pivot Technology Solutions. Smart-Edge.com was formed in 2018 to focus on commercializing the Smart Edge application platform. Smart Edge enables reliable and deterministic access to an enterprise’s existing applications at the edge. As an early pioneer in multi-access edge computing standards, Smart-Edge.com embraced the notion of delivering security-enabled, low latency applications at the edge of the network. Smart-Edge.com envisaged and developed a secure, trusted cloud environment at the network edge, allowing enterprises to deploy existing and new applications to accelerate new revenue. By leveraging Intel’s leading technology, the Smart Edge software platform enables a significantly improved user experience and well positions the enterprise to take advantage of 5G.
About Intel® Network BuildersIntel® Network Builders is an ecosystem of infrastructure, software, and technology vendors coming together with communications service providers and end users to accelerate the adoption of solutions based on network functions virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN) in telecommunications and data center networks. The Network Edge Ecosystem is a new initiative gathering ecosystem partners with a focus on accelerating network edge solutions. As an integral part of the broader Intel Network Builders program, this initiative aims to facilitate partners’ access to tested and optimized solutions for network edge and cloud environments. Learn more at networkbuilders.intel.com.
Smart Edge Benefits for the MNO
• Smart Edge supports 3GPP* control and user plane separation (CUPS) architecture
• The controller can be deployed within the evolved packet core (ePC)
• MNO network densification can potentially reduce the cost of service deployment
• Low latency improves the user’s quality of experience (QoE)
• Better user experiences can result in higher service utilization and customer “stickiness”
• Smart Edge can mean fast entry into the market and deployment of shared responsibility business models
• Colocation offers small-cell results in efficient monetization of the spectrum, along with the ability to sell new services
• Control of an Smart Edge service can be delegated to an enterprise for flexible management
• Smart Edge integrates with Wi-Fi environments and other access technology environments, positioning the carrier for more upsell opportunities and a portfolio evolution
• Smart Edge provides access to applications at the edge, along with performance and network metrics, giving the MNO a greater share of the cloud service value chain
Find more informationTo learn more about the Smart Edge solution, please contact us at [email protected].
Disclaimers
Intel technologies’ features and benefits depend on system configuration and may require enabled hardware, software or service activation. Performance varies depending on system configuration. No computer system can be absolutely secure. Check with your system manufacturer or retailer or learn more at intel.com.
Cost reduction scenarios described are intended as examples of how a given Intel-based product, in the specified circumstances and configurations, may affect future costs and provide cost savings. Circumstances will vary. Intel does not guarantee any costs or cost reduction.
Intel, the Intel logo, and Xeon are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries.
*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
