Nortel Networks introduces the Intelligent Internet

Nortel Networks has launched a strategic initiative aimed at reducing technology expenses and speeding the delivery of new services by introducing intelligent technology to extend network functionality.

This initiative, the Intelligent Internet, is set around four parameters - security, performance, agility and efficiency, and will make it easier for users to get information when, how and where they want it.

Says Tony Wilson, Enterprise director at Nortel Networks South Africa: "The security aspect of the Intelligent Internet enables customers to rely on the integrity of their data with end-to-end security extending from the subscriber to the content.

"It also increases network performance through quality of service, enabling access across a variety of devices for the high-speed delivery of audio, video and voice technologies."

He says the advancement in agility would offer customers the ability to quickly deliver new services without excessive cost or time, and efficiency will be addressed by leveraging network assets for maximum economic value.

"Together, these attributes can help enterprises and service providers control and maximise existing infrastructure, increase bandwidth availability and network reliability, remove bottlenecks, and enable content-rich, value-added services such as personalisation," he says.

The Intelligent Internet introduces new product initiatives that define a more intelligent architecture. These are:

Wilson explains that the service edge is the point at which service providers offer revenue generating services to their customer.

"Embedding intelligent edge service engines into the Intelligent Internet enables a high return on assets and lowers the total cost of ownership," he says. "These service engines give enterprises and service providers added versatility with the breadth of service offerings they need to remain competitive, and contribute to new and valuable services ranging from managed data services to security services. It also offers enhanced reliability and increased scalability."

According to Wilson, smart VPNs exploit the industry-leading auto-discovery capability that is critical to improving the operational simplicity and profitability of VPNs.

"This tool eliminates the need for manual identification of new nodes to other nodes, thus service roll-out can be achieved faster and more cost-effectively.

"The Intelligent Internet also positions VPN capabilities to evolve to full network virtualisation - in order to deliver valuable content," he says.

"In the past, providing network security has typically come at the expense of network performance," says Wilson. "But the Intelligent Internet overcomes performance challenges to deliver scalable security solutions."

According to Wilson, encrypted end-to-end connectivity via IP security maintains data and transaction integrity across all parts of the networks. And the suite also includes other security enhancing services such as content filtering and intrusion detection.

Network bandwidth management begins when subscribers engage the system at the edge and extends to the core of the network. Optimising traffic utilisation and ensuring that traffic is sent across un-congested paths require fully integrated intelligent traffic management capabilities.

Says Wilson: "Adding intelligence to the traffic management function makes it possible to offer guaranteed quality of service. The Intelligent Internet provides a high degree of control and traffic management, ensuring that the performance and stability of the network is not degraded."

Optical networks are evolving from point-to-point configuration to vastly more intelligent networks. Intelligence in the network enables equipment consolidation and cost-efficiencies that lead to improved network agility and increased network efficiencies through dynamic bandwidth management and optical VPNs.

Says Wilson: "The Intelligent Internet adds intelligent dynamic optical bandwidth control to existing and new optical infrastructure. It also takes advantage of emerging intelligent control functionality to deliver new services in a timely fashion."

Over time, Wilson says, this suite will continue to take advantage of these capabilities and maximise their benefits to the full. "Ultimately, by utilising the Intelligent Internet, enterprises can reduce deployment and operational costs of existing network services while adding increasingly sophisticated services and maximising benefits from capital and human resources."