Telstra bundles cloud, software-defined networking into single integrated platform

Telstra will bring its networking and cloud products under a single integrated platform to become a one-stop shop for customer’s networking needs.

The Telstra Programmable Network offers software-defined networking (SDN), network functions virtualisation (NFV), cloud infrastructure, data centres and local and international networks from a single portal sold as-a-service.

Customers will also have access to public cloud services from the likes of Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and IBM SoftLayer through the portal.

Director of global platforms Jim Fagan told CRN the platform will be available in Australia in the first quarter of Telstra’s next financial year.

"The Telstra Programmable Network is designed to help our customers meet the rapidly growing global demand for data and the proliferation of applications, as well as embrace cloud computing by offering flexible and dynamic access to our high bandwidth, low latency and secure networks," said Fagan

"Our vision for the Telstra Programmable Network is to help businesses optimise their IT by offering automated, on-demand and near real-time provisioning, consumption-based pricing and new data insights on network usage."

Telstra’s international IP-based virtual private network (IPVPN) customers can access the platform from 2000 points of presence globally.

Fagan said that the company will implement a “significant capability upgrade” to Telstra’s own core international IP network, which was announced in November last year as part of Telstra’s $1.5 billion network upgrade. The upgrade will increase Telstra’s peering capacity by up to 70 percent, increase bandwidth and flexibility and enhance security to accommodate for the new platform.

“These initial investments will establish the groundwork for the Telstra Programmable Network with future enhancements, such as orchestrated real-time SD-WAN and security, to be announced in the coming months,” said Fagan.