As enterprises and service providers navigate the complexities of modern connectivity, MEF is accelerating the adoption of Network-as-a-Service (NaaS). Artificial intelligence’s (AI) integration with NaaS is advancing this shift, enabling service providers to drive new business in meeting the emerging demands of enterprise.
In an exclusive interview with Telecom Review, Kevin Vachon, Chief Operating Officer at MEF, discussed the organization’s active role in driving NaaS adoption, and the increasing significance of standardized Application Program Interfaces (APIs) in global NaaS ecosystem automation.
How is MEF driving the adoption of Network-as-a-Service, and how does it address the challenges experienced by enterprise and service providers?
MEF is a global platform that brings together all stakeholders in the NaaS ecosystem, fostering collaboration to make it a reality. This includes service providers, data centers, hyperscalers, aggregators, system integrators, vendors, and importantly, the enterprise community. We are providing industry leadership through blueprints, white papers, which are ‘North-Star’ type documents to coalesce the industry around NaaS, its standard definitions, and building main blocks. MEF also brings together leaders from our 200+ global member organizations and beyond each year at our annual Global NaaS Event, (GNE), to advance the future of NaaS in an increasingly automated ecosystem. With 75% of attendees at the executive level, GNE has become the must-attend, vital event for exploring NaaS developments, from modular offerings to quantum-secure connectivity.
Beyond the technical framework, we are building on what we have done for many years, including standards and certifications for connectivity services, security services including SASE. Most importantly, we have adopted a standardized API framework called Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) to automate an entire global NaaS ecosystem, ranging from enterprise providers to retail and wholesale providers, data centers, and othert supply chain stakeholders.
Services need to be integrated and automated to form a viable NaaS offering; enabling this forms MEF’s core value proposition. When you look at service provider offerings, they are all driven by enterprise demand. As enterprises embark upon their digital transformation journeys, they are looking for new generations of network services; they want to be able to buy these services increasingly on demand.
They may look for different consumption models and bundles where one service level agreement (SLA) can be wrapped around a suite of services. However, if you take a look at many organizations, they are global in nature. They will push for the development of this ecosystem because, without a global NaaS delivery framework, enterprises will be forced to seek alternatives from other providers.
A key aspect for MEF is meeting the demands of enterprises related to NaaS. Last year, we formed an Enterprise Leadership Council (ELC) consisting of multinational senior executives to help us chart our NaaS course. In addition to offering general guidance and leadership, ELC members are defining very specific use cases and setting clear expectations for NaaS development. It is an emerging, yet promising, field. We are seeing things go in the right direction and we are excited about the role we’re playing.
How is MEF leading the transformation of the telecom and cloud industries, particularly in automation?
In terms of automation, MEF released commenced work on LSO eight years ago called the . We have built a comprehensive API portfolio designed to automate the NaaS ecosystem. The functionality at both the business and operational levels, including transactions between the various forms of buyers and sellers, directly relates to service commercial transactions and operations.
This is driven by the need for a seamlessly operated and automated ecosystem, which cannot function efficiently without standard APIs. It is important to have a standard set of APIs to support transactions, automation processes, and actions across a range of products being sold to enterprises. These range from software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) services, to cloud services, to SASE security services. It can also be a combination of all of these, including the components that need to be transacted within the wholesale ecosystem.
The LSO API portfolio is very flexible in supporting different services—whether they be standardized or customized—and this has resulted in tremendous adoption and momentum.
What is the relationship between AI and NaaS, and what role is MEF playing in this area?
The relationship between AI and NaaS is still in a relatively early stage but in its most basic form, AI will be a big driver of bandwidth demand. This bandwidth will increasingly be procured on demand. Additionally, service providers are looking to sell AI-powered solutions to enterprises. One example we are looking at is GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS), an AI-driven use case to be offered as a scalable, on-demand service.
MEF is a leader in developing standards and certifications. What is the significance of these certifications in service innovation?
Certifications also play a really important role as they allow third-party validation to demonstrate compliance, whether it’s regarding transport services, security offerings, or APIs used for automation.
Third-party validation is very useful for buyers and consumers. At the same time, companies investing in certification will gain marketability benefits, as it serves as a key differentiator. Certification assures customers that the services have been tested against global standards and validated by a third party for specific functionalities.
Certification has always been an important aspect of MEF’s value proposition and we plan to expand its role as we lead the NaaS market forward.
More from Vachon:
NaaS as a ‘Guiding Light’: MEF Evolves into a Global Collaboration Platform
MEF’s GNE 2024: Ambitious Enterprise-Driven Agenda Announced
MEF19: Where thought leaders of the telecom industry come together
