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In this lesson, we're going to explore

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network function virtualization.

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Network function virtualization, also known as NFV,

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is a transformative concept

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that's reshaping telecommunications by introducing agility

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and flexibility to our once rigid

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and hardware dependent networks.

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Traditionally, network services like routing, firewalling,

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load balancing and intrusion detection

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were carried out by dedicated hardware appliances.

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These devices were built to be robust and reliable,

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but they also introduced a lot of constraints

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in terms of our scalability, speed of deployment, and cost.

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To solve this network function virtualization was created

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and this provides us with the ability

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to have greater network flexibility

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and the ability to respond faster to the growing demand

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for cloud services and virtualization technologies.

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NFV is able to extract our network functions

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from the hardware that they ran on,

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and instead, it's now going to rely on software applications

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known as VFS or virtual network functions.

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These virtual network functions can be deployed

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and operate on standard commercial off the shelf servers

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that are less expensive and more versatile

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than the specialized hardware appliances that we used

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in the past.

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Basically, with network function virtualization,

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we're going to be installing and configuring a new firewall

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without having to buy a new hardware appliance.

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And instead, it's a lot more like downloading a new app

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on your smartphone, but this time it's for your data center

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and your enterprise network environments.

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Network function virtualization relies on three main

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components for it to work.

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These are the NFV infrastructure,

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the management network orchestration,

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and the virtual network functions.

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First, we have the NFV infrastructure.

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The NFV infrastructure includes all the hardware

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and the virtual resources necessary for deploying, managing,

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and executing VNF or virtual network functions.

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This is a computational storage

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and network resources

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that we're going to provide a virtualization layer.

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On top of second, we have the management

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and network orchestration,

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or MANO, which is spelled out M-A-N-O.

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Now, the management and network orchestration component is

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really the brains of the network function virtualization.

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MANO oversees the lifecycle management

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of the virtual network functions,

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and it orchestrates the resources across the NFVI

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to ensure that all the functions are being deployed

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efficiently and can scale up or down

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based on the current demand levels.

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Third, we have virtual network functions known as VNFs.

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Now, the virtual network functions are the software

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implementations of our network functions

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that were traditionally bound to the hardware appliances.

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Each virtual network function is going to be instantiated

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on the NFV infrastructure

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and can be chained together

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with other virtual network functions

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to create a full scale network service.

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Now, there are many benefits

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of using network function virtualization.

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One of the primary advantages

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is the ability to have more flexibility

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and the ability to conduct rapid deployments.

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With network function virtualization,

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our network services can be scaled up or down on the fly,

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without the need for physical hardware installations

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to occur first.

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This ability to dynamically adapt

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to changing network demands is crucial in today's digital

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landscape where our user needs

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and traffic patterns can shift rapidly and unpredictably.

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Now, another significant benefit is the cost efficiencies

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when using network function virtualization,

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by moving away from proprietary hardware appliances

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and instead relying on traditional commercial off the shelf

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server technology,

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our organizations can reduce their capital expenditures.

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Also with the decoupling of the software and hardware,

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upgrading or scaling services no longer requires hardware

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replacements each time,

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and this also leads to lower operational costs.

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It's important to note though that the transition

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to network function virtualization

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isn't without its challenges.

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Security concerns the complexity of managing

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and orchestrating virtualized functions,

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and the need for skilled personnel

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who are proficient in virtualization technologies

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are some of the most common hurdles that organizations

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are facing when trying to transition

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from a more traditional hardware

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appliance-based network functions

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to this newer network function virtualization infrastructure

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and its virtual network functions.

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So remember, NFV or network function virtualization

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does represent a significant leap forward

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in network management

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and operation by offering unprecedented levels

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of flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency

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to our organizations.

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Network function virtualization

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relies on three main components to work,

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the NFV infrastructure,

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the management and network orchestration,

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and the virtual network functions.

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By using virtualization technology,

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our network functions can be installed

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and configured just like software applications

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instead of relying on dedicated pieces

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of hardware appliances.

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And this can increase our scalability

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while also decreasing our capital expenditures

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and reducing our overall cost.