ETSI NFV, the Pillar for Cloud Ready ICT Deployments

Abstract

Since the first standardized Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV) Management and Orchestration (MANO) framework released in 2014, the ETSI NFV Industry Specification Group (ISG) has evolved the architecture, the interface specifications and the Information Model over two releases. With the Release 3 now unfolding, new NFV features are studied and delivered via normative specifications to enable faster, automated web-scale deployment and orchestration of multi -access telecom systems as well as distributed edge systems via interoperable ETSI NFV standard based solutions. While agnostic to the applications and technologies of the systems being deployed and orchestrated (e.g. 4G, 5G, enterprise solutions at customer premises), the ETSI NFV-MANO framework offers the architecture, inter-faces and models that enable deployments of multi-vendor orchestration solutions. ETSI NFV management and orchestration supports deployment and provisioning of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) independent of the type of runtime Virtual Machine (VM) or containers. In ETSI NFV ISG we keep our specifications relevant for the market and compatible with related industry standards and widely adopted open source de facto standards. Close collaboration is key with industry standards bodies such as 3GPP SA5, IETF, NGMN, ITU- T, MEF and open source initiatives with industry traction like the Linux Foundation's and OpenStack.