Anywhere, Anytime Mobile Enterprise Access Using NFV and Policy

 I remember when I started working, laptops were something that executives could borrow from the company.  Those laptops were clunky and connected via dial-up to the company’s modem banks, but they allowed us to continue to stay productive even when we traveling to visit customer sites.  Over time, laptops became more prevalent, allowing us to work from anywhere with the click of a simple virtual private network (VPN) client and an Internet connection.  And now, that VPN client is available on mobile devices to enable me to connect from anywhere, at anytime, on any device.

Enterprises are taking the next step beyond VPNs and are purchasing dedicated mobile network services from their Mobile Service Provider partner.  With the emergence of such private enterprise virtual mobile networks and the increased prevalence of hetnet services offerings (corporate Wi-Fi, community Wi-Fi, and cellular), Cisco Policy Suite, with such capabilities like access selection, can be delivered in such virtual corporate networks.  Therefore, corporate devices and private devices can always benefit from always-best connected experiences.   Any enterprise-issued device can easily connect to the enterprises’ mobile network and access internal information and applications quickly and securely, and with the appropriate Quality of Service in line with their SLA with the Mobile Operator.  At the same time, employees can purchase their own device, following the trend of bring your own device (BYOD) and connect to the private mobile network using a VPN client and an access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) client. 

Enterprises can now have the best of both worlds – a secure, dedicated virtual mobile network for enterprise-issued devices and VPN for devices that are BYOD. For those enterprise-issued devices, the director of IT can now manage the experience for those devices, whether that means zero-rating any enterprise access to internal applications and videos, Voice over Wi-Fi application priority, and even personalized video training plans per employee and device.  At the same time, the IT department can help manage the experience of the BYOD users, by providing automated connections to the private mobile network during work hours and in the office, and VPN connections when the employee is traveling.

For Service Providers, these dedicated mobile networks offer a new service they can provide to their Enterprise.  Using NFV networks such as the Cisco Evolved Services Platform, operator customer networks can easily be divided to dedicated APNs (Access Point Name) for customers like Enterprises and MVNOs who need their own dedicated mobile network services.  In addition, operators can set up a dedicated Policy server for each mobile network APN such that the Enterprise or MVNO owner can customize their mobile network service experiences to their private user groups.

Cisco Policy Suite 8.0, which is now available on an industry-standard NFV architecture of OpenStack in addition to VMware, brings dynamic orchestration capabilities to service providers.  This flexible architecture requires less design and architecture for the operators who are looking to simplify and quickly bring new enterprises and MVNOs onboard. In addition to new developments in the architecture, the new release of Cisco Policy Suite help Service Providers reduce both CapEx and OpEx through fast delivery and increased automation of new services.  With Policy as part of the NFV architecture, service providers can now quickly turn on new, large-scale and customized services for new revenue opportunities in customers large and small.  And Enterprise workers like me can seamlessly connect to intranet information without worrying about the device, client, or location.

Learn more about the new release of Cisco Policy Suite by visiting our website here.

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