Network Functions Virtualisation

Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) is an architectural framework created by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)

It defines standards to decouple network functions from proprietary hardware-based appliances and have them ran in software instead on standard servers.

It defines how to manage and orchestrate the network functions.

Network function refers to a function performance by a physical appliance such as a firewall or router function.

Some benefits of network functions virtualisation are similar to the benefits of server virtualisation:

• Reduced capital expenditure (capex) and operational expenditure (opex) through reduced equipment costs and efficiencies in space, power and cooling
• Faster time to marker because virtual machines and containers are easier to deploy than hardware
• Improved return on investment from new services
• Ability to scale up and down in capacity and demand
• Openness to the virtual appliance market and pure software networking vendors
• Opportunities to test and deploy new innovative services virtually and with low risk