Intel unveils new reference architectures for data centers, telecom networks

Three strategic reference architectures that will enable the IT and telecom industries to accelerate hardware and software development for software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) were recently announced by Intel at the Open Networking Summit conference.

Aimed at the telecommunications, cloud data center and enterprise data center infrastructure market segments, the new reference architectures combine open standards for SDN and NFV with Intel's hardware and software to enable networks to be more agile and intelligent so they can adapt to changing market dynamics, says the company.

SDN and NFV are complementary networking technologies poised to transform how networks are designed, deployed and managed across data center and telecom infrastructure environments, claims Intel.

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By separating control and data planes, SDN allows the network to be programmed and managed externally at much larger and more dynamic scale for better traffic control across the entire data center. NFV allows service providers to virtualize and manage networking functions such as firewall, VPN or intrusion detection service as virtual applications running on a high-volume Intel x86-based server.

"SDN and NFV are critical elements of Intel's vision to transform the expensive, complex networks of today to a virtualized, programmable, standards-based architecture running commercial off-the-shelf hardware," comments Rose Schooler, vice president of Intel Architecture Group and general manager of Intel's Communications and Storage Infrastructure Group.

Schooler adds, "The reference designs announced today enable a new phase in the evolution of the network and represent Intel's commitment to driving an open environment that fosters business agility and smart economics."

Read Intel's full press release for this announcement.