Seven major global telecom operators have joined 52 other industry partners to launch the ETSI Industry Specification Group for Network Functions Virtualization (ISG NFV) to address the rising costs and complexity of proprietary hardware appliances. The group, chaired by Dr. Prodip Sen of Verizon, aims to standardize the virtualization of network functions by moving them from dedicated hardware to software running on industry-standard servers. This initiative seeks to reduce capital and operational expenditures, accelerate service deployment, and provide greater flexibility for scaling network services. The ISG NFV is expected to publish its first architecture and requirements specifications before the end of 2013.
Source: https://www.etsi.org/newsroom/news/644-2013-01-isg-nfv-created/
Keywords: network functions virtualization, software-based design, standard IT virtualization, ETSI ISG NFV, hardware appliance consolidation