Yesterday, I wrote an article about how MEF and CyberRatings kicked off a SASE Certification Beta program to help foster trust with cybersecurity solutions. Including certified SASE services as part of a provider’s NaaS offerings means enterprises can evaluate the effectiveness of their cybersecurity solution.
The correlations between that article and this one are MEF, of course, but also Network-as-a-Service (NaaS).
MEF is an international consortium comprising network, cloud, security, and technology companies collaborating to expedite enterprise digital transformation by fostering a synergistic ecosystem. MEF provides service benchmarks, Lifecycle Service Orchestration frameworks and APIs, as well as educational and certification initiatives for services, technologies, APIs and professionals.
MEF defines NaaS as a standards-based automated ecosystem offering on-demand connectivity, application assurance, cybersecurity and multi-cloud services. NaaS enables organizations to achieve business goals without the need to create or manage their infrastructure.
The catch? Well, previously, there was no industry consensus on NaaS's definition and core components, posing challenges for both service providers and enterprises. MEF created the MEF NaaS Industry Blueprint designed to address this by providing a common framework for understanding and defining NaaS.
The MEF NaaS Industry Blueprint aims to establish a clear definition of NaaS, along with its fundamental components and capabilities. The blueprint proposes a set of primary building blocks essential for NaaS solutions, encompassing services, automation platforms, ecosystem considerations and certifications.
The blueprint references existing MEF service and LSO automation API standards (as well as other industry tools), which play a pivotal role in the development and delivery of NaaS services.
Additionally, it introduces initial NaaS use cases across various domains, including on-demand transport, SD-WAN, SASE, and multi-cloud applications, offering a holistic view of NaaS's potential applications and benefits within the industry.
The blueprint helps service providers develop, market and deliver the next generation of NaaS offerings, and it helps enterprises make informed decisions about which NaaS offerings are right for their specific needs and customers.
"The MEF NaaS Industry Blueprint provides a foundation for the industry to build on as it develops the NaaS ecosystem," said Nan Chen, President, MEF. "By providing a common framework for understanding and defining NaaS, the blueprint will help service providers develop and deliver innovative offerings. The MEF NaaS Industry Blueprint will play a major role in driving the growth of the NaaS market and helping businesses achieve their digital transformation goals."
Edited by
Alex Passett
