Internet Initiative Japan will release in September a new type of cloud-based networking services, one that virtualizes the network functions and offers them to corporate customers on demand.
Dubbed IIJ Omnibus, the new service employs software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) technologies to provide enterprise-class network capabilities as Network as a Service (NaaS).
IIJ Omnibus uses the Network Processing System (NPS) — IIJ’s proprietary development — as a gateway and provides Internet, security, wide-area network (WAN), and other functions that customers' networks need as service modules.
With IIJ Omnibus, customers are promised asset-light access to the functions when needed, without having to own on-premises routers, VPNs, firewalls, or other network equipment. Thus, they can greatly reduce the overhead and costs of ever-more-complicated security measures and network operations.
IIJ Omnibus automatically generates instances of NPS in private domains in the cloud that are dedicated to customers and provides various functional modules via the NPS gateways.
Through a dedicated online portal, customers can order the functional modules that they require, and configure and manage them at will. The only device installed on the customer's premises or locations is a single service adaptor unit that IIJ provides free of charge.
Just by connecting the adaptor to their networks, customers can automatically connect to the central network and easily create WANs using the automated management function.