Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. and Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Inc. have developed technology that makes it easy to design, build, and operate virtual network infrastructure that extend across multiple
clouds and corporate networks. With conventional technology it is possible to build "virtual network infrastructure" within one individual cloud or corporate location using Software Defined Networking (SDN) technology. However, when building virtual network infrastructure spanning multiple clouds and locations, not only are the setup methods different for each cloud and location, it is also necessary for a
skilled engineer to take time to configure settings for connecting each part of the IT infrastructure individually. Now Fujitsu Laboratories and Fujitsu Laboratories of America have developed software technology that abstracts the structural elements of networks in IT infrastructure, and which can collectively design, build, manage, and operate across multiple IT infrastructures. The two companies have confirmed that this technology allows virtual network infrastructure to be built in one-tenth the
time required by conventional technology, when it is applied to the design and configuration of the virtual network infrastructure extending across one cloud and a location with a few dozen devices. With this technology, it is now possible to build and operate networks in response to user or application requirements, contributing to the creation of virtual networks across multiple IT infrastructures that support a variety of services in the era of 5G mobile communications, IoT, and the cloud.
In anticipation of an era in which 5G mobile communications and IoT technology become increasingly widespread, there has been a demand for technology that can efficiently provide a variety of services in the cloud in response to diversified needs and requirements. With SDN and other technology for virtualizing computer resources, and through the development of virtual network infrastructure that extends from IoT devices, smart devices, and PCs to the cloud for each service as needed, it is now
possible for cloud service providers to securely and efficiently provide their services, independent of the physical infrastructure. These technologies are beginning to be used, for example, in delivering large volumes of data from IoT devices to the cloud, and analyzing that data for use in a variety of fields, or in flexibly building enterprise networks in response to changes in corporate organization. There has been a demand with this sort of virtual network infrastructure for the ability to quickly
respond to changes in service needs and requirements that continually arise.
With conventional technology, virtual network infrastructure can be created using SDN technology based on network designs required by a user, or "logical network," within a single IT infrastructure. However, when building virtual network infrastructure that encompasses cloud services being operated by different companies or in multiple locations, there are different setup methods for the individual SDN controllers. In addition, connecting different IT infrastructure usually requires expert knowledge to manually configure virtual network infrastructures in between, such as VPNs and VXLANs, thus making network configuration laborious and time consuming.
