128 Technology Redefines the WAN with Introduction of the Flexible Service Edge

BURLINGTON, Mass., Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 128 Technology, the leader in Session Smarttm Networking, today announced the introduction of the newest member of its solution portfolio, the Flexible Service Edge (FSE). Built upon the proven software from the company's widely-deployed Session Smart routing platform, FSE allows service providers?regardless of their location in their digital transformation journey?to easily evolve from delivering connectivity to higher-value services, offering increased revenue and customer satisfaction.

Today, service providers are under extreme pressure to improve margins for existing services, offer new high margin services, and accelerate time-to-revenue as they compete with new entrants.  To successfully compete, service providers must deliver services and network analytics that will enable them to be a more strategic partner to their customers.

FSE introduces a NEW model for the software-defined edge that begins with managed connectivity and easily expands to deliver higher margin services including Managed Router, and to even higher margin services including SD-WAN, IoT and SD-Branch all supported by 128T's Session Smart Router.

It starts with the 128T Layer 3(L3) Network Interface Device (NID).  The L3NID is a new category of NID that serves as the point of demarcation between the service provider and the enterprise across any access network (fixed, mobile, etc.). Unlike most L2 NIDs, FSE provides visibility and analytics into the performance of applications and services on the network, which allows service providers to better manage Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and to provide the data and insights capable of justifying the business case for evolving to a managed router offering or SD-WAN offering without requiring additional hardware.

"With the coming of 5G and the litany of new services that will accompany it, service providers have an opportunity to expand from delivering mere connectivity services to a higher-level of offerings that provide transformational benefits for their networks and the bottom line," said Andy Ory, CEO 128 Technology.  "With Flexible Service Edge, service providers now have a launching point to deliver a host of new service offerings that can help them along their journey from managed circuits to managed SD-WAN, to total digital transformation."

The L3NID is easily upgraded to a Managed Router to deliver increased monthly recurring revenue for the service provider as a managed service.  The Managed Router provides IP underlay routing (BGP, OSPF, etc.), traffic engineering, QoS and L4 firewall capabilities.

And finally, the FSE can be upgraded to the full capabilities of 128T's Session Smart Router to deliver on tunnel-free network transformation initiatives including SD-WAN, SD-Branch, IoT and 5G.

Early Customer Validation
FSE is already being deployed in the networks of several Managed Service Providers (MSPs) in the US who are seeing benefits across several areas.

Momentum Telecom
Momentum Telecom, a telecommunications services provider based in Atlanta, has deployed FSE in their network and has been instrumental in helping 128 Technology define the functionality in the product.

"We realized the need within our network for a solution that would deliver the type of intelligence at the edge needed for us to expand the types of services we have been delivering to our customers," said Mark Marquez, EVP Technology, at Momentum Telecom.  "FSE is exactly what we had been looking for as it gives us the flexibility to begin rolling out new services at our own pace, offering a 'pay-as-you-grow' model that allows us to continue to expand in line with customer adoption."

Leveraging the Strengths of a Proven Platform
FSE was built using the same proven software within the company's Session Smart routing solution. Deployed at hundreds of enterprises globally, Session Smart is known throughout the industry for its world-class levels of efficiency, security, performance, and simplicity. As a result, service providers receive benefits across several areas, including:

• Automated Provisioning & Management: Service providers deploying FSE gain the ability to leverage the proven capabilities of the 128T Conductor, a centralized management and policy engine that provides orchestration, zero-touch provisioning, network monitoring and analytics. As a result, service providers can significantly accelerate the setup and upgrade of thousands of customers through the cloud.
  
  
• Unparalleled Scalability: FSE provides service providers with a wealth of scalability that allows them to quickly scale as part of a "pay as you grow" model capable of easily supporting thousands of sites across large footprints.
  
  
• Digital Transformation Migration without the CapEx: By deploying FSE, service providers gain a clear migration to full network digital transformation, enabling them to evolve from a connectivity provider to a full SD-WAN implementation without the need for additional capital (hardware) investments.
  
  
• Ability to Support New Use Cases & Improve Customer Satisfaction: By leveraging the capabilities of FSE, service providers can upgrade their service offerings to support new use cases such as edge computing, 5G and IoT that will add significant value to enterprise customers.

About 128 Technology
128 Technology, a software-based networking company, is on a mission to radically reinvent companies' digital futures based on a new model for virtual networking called Session Smarttm. Session-smart networking enables enterprise customers and service providers to create a service-centric fabric that's more simple, agile, and secure, delivering better performance at a lower cost. Whether your enterprise is moving your business to the cloud, modernizing the WAN edge, seeking more reliable unified communications or pursuing an industrial internet of things (IIoT) initiative, Session Smart networking re-aligns networks with digital transformation initiatives. Headquartered in Burlington, Mass. along Route 128, 'America's technology highway', the company also has operations throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

128 Technology
Karen Falcone
[email protected]

Guyer Group for 128 Technology
Kevin Whalen
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SOURCE 128 Technology