Regarding growing and managing networks, today's Communication Service Providers (CSPs) have their work cut out for them. They must embrace and leverage new technologies like cloud-native infrastructure, 5G access, and Multi-Edge Computing (MEC) and adapt to newer virtualized provisioning and management methods.
Dell Technologies Bare Metal Orchestrator is a critical tool enabling CSPs to manage their network's physical and virtual components while reducing the time and expenses devoted to hardware, software, and lifecycle management.
The Challenge: Managing Physical and Virtual Networks While Enabling Growth
It made sense for CSPs to manage their networks at one time based on centralized, fully integrated, and hardware-based designs. As a result, networks could be mapped based on known hardware at relatively few locations. However, with the introduction of 5G, networks became more virtualized and distributed to Edge hardware in remote areas. In a sense, no longer did network maps represent pure geography or hardware.
As a result, managing these growing networks grew ever more complex - especially in their beginning stages of launch. Today, the technical leaders of CSPs grapple with the following:
- Managing network infrastructure on both physical and virtual levels
- Discovering, deploying, and managing over one hundred thousand bare metal servers across a vast geography
- Operating and integrating many different NFV software stacks
- Working with a variety of virtual infrastructure stacks
- Integrating the technologies of multiple vendors
And it's no exaggeration to say that satisfying each configuration and maintenance requirement for each vendor's product can be challenging. Additional concerns for CSPs include:
- multiple deployment configurations
- versioning and firmware requirements
- varying methods of monitoring between vendors
- numerous modes of integration with higher-level stacks
The Solution: Dell Technologies Bare Metal Orchestrator
Dell Technologies created its Bare Metal Orchestrator software solution in response to the growing telecom infrastructure management challenge. With it, CSPs can discover, manage, and unite their bare metal and virtual infrastructure elements.
From Manual Processes to Automation
Bare Metal Orchestrator enables IT leaders to dictate their desired settings to their networks instead of vice versa. This approach, known as declarative automation, allows CSPs to express their goals for network performance and let the system take care of the necessary configuration and provisioning. In addition, the system combines the management of a multitude of hardware devices into one user interface enabling operators to see current inventory and decide what hardware to retire and what to add.
Combining Core, Edge, and RAN Networks
At the core, Bare Metal Orchestrator supports and manages devices that deliver services like:
- Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)
- Ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) for specific verticals
- Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC) for IoT devices and applications
At The Edge, Bare Metal Orchestrator provides for the management and control of thousands of multi-vendor MEC devices from a single user interface with support for multi-tenement models.
And finally, for RAN networks, Bare Metal Orchestrator offers automated and simplified deployment and scaling of Centralized Unit (vCU) and Distributed Unit (vDU) servers to handle changing capacity needs.
Built for Growth
By providing high availability to the control and management nodes of a CSP's network, Bare Metal Orchestrator can scale up to thousands of physical sites and hundreds of thousands of physical operating nodes. At the same time, the system supports geographically redundant, distributed control and operation to help preserve network uptime.
Multi-Vendor Support
Bare Metal Orchestrator supports multiple network, storage, and server hardware with consistent functionality to accommodate diverse CSP networks. Also included is compatibility with various vendor management servers and functions via standard protocols and APIs and integration with popular virtual software infrastructure environments like Kubernetes, Open Stack, and VMware Cloud.
Real-World Cost Savings
According to a recent ACG cost analysis, through drastic reductions in complex server management and operations tasks, Bare Metal Orchestrator can deliver up to 99% savings in server provisioning and NFVI and VIM installation. And as for ongoing operation, they estimate a 75% labor savings due to the reduction of tasks relating to:
- Configuration management
- Security management
- VIM software updates
- Fault management
- NFVI engineering and planning
- Kubernetes software maintenance
Finally, last but not least, ACG estimates an 88% to 255% ROI for CSPs using Bare Metal Orchestrator.
To Better Manage Your Growing Network, Look to Dell Technologies and UNICOM Engineering
Even as today's telecom networks grow increasingly virtual, they still rely on correctly specified and configured hardware. UNICOM Engineering can help with decades of experience supporting growing CSPs. Look to them to provide your network servers and system integration expertise. As an Intel Technology Provider and Dell Technologies OEM Partner, they can supply, build, and support the best hardware to meet or exceed the needs of your application and help you bring it to market faster. Schedule a consultation today to learn how UNICOM Engineering can keep your network growing.