DNA Plc, a member of the Telenor Group and a prominent mobile and fixed communications provider in Finland, has adopted an intent-based networking data centre fabric designed by Juniper Networks and NEC Corporation. The innovative solution consists of Juniper’s advanced automation software, robust hardware, paired with NEC’s system integration expertise. The refreshed data centre infrastructure will be used as a unified platform for both business-to-business customer services and internal IT services. Significantly, Juniper Networks QFX Series Switches are set to power DNA’s Telco Cloud sites spread across Finland.
The overarching aim of DNA's data centre upgrade is to facilitate new service offerings designed to generate additional revenue, deliver operational efficiencies, and enhance the customer's overall experience. Automating the data centre network will curtail human error, streamline the workload of technical teams to concentrate on service production, and simplify quality service delivery at scale. With QFX switches ensuring low latency networking featuring high capacity and dependability, it will be more equipped to provide diverse services harmoniously to mobile users who demand superior network quality.
DNA has chosen the Juniper Apstra solution as the linchpin in its data centre foundation. This one-of-a-kind, intent-based networking software tool is designed to simplify, automate and validate data centre design, planning, and operations from day one onwards. Apstra supports a hardware- and OS-agnostic turnkey multi-vendor automation solution, which presents DNA with a coordinated, real-time view of millions of data centre elements, along with their dynamic performance, relationships, and interdependencies.
This novel addition lends more agility while enhancing the robustness of DNA's network design, construction and operations. It simplifies the entire network management operations, allowing IT teams to focus more on other crucial aspects. With Apstra, DNA can produce a range of templates for its data centre network based on its desired intent and required business outcomes. The Apstra software automatically translates this intent into the network configurations and policies necessary to consistently achieve DNA’s defined outcomes.
Employing Apstra will ensure the network continuously undertakes validation and “closed-loop” assurance to maintain compliance with the declared intent from the blueprint. It makes use of real-time analytics to provide immediate and highly accurate root-cause analysis of network issues and mitigation data, which will maximise DNA’s data centre and service uptime. DNA has also deployed Juniper Networks QFX Series Switches across its new data centre fabric to supplement Apstra in DNA's network by delivering unmatched reliability, performance, and scalability. NEC as a strategic partner to DNA, delivers pre-integration consultancy and validation with premium level support for Juniper's solution, utilising its team of certified engineers.
Pekka Jskelinen, Vice President, Core & IP Networks, DNA Plc, praised the strategic collaboration stating, "By working with Juniper and NEC, DNA is able to deliver those first-class user experiences and maintain our reputation". Masayuki Kayahara, General Manager, Service Provider Solutions Department, NEC, stated their intention to "continue delivering transformative networking solutions and services that overcome increasing business challenges." Mansour Karam, Group Vice President Products, Cloud Ready Data Center, Juniper Networks asserted that "Automation drives down the total cost of ownership in DNA’s data centres and frees up talent."