Software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) continue to becoming more prevalent in the networking space.

Telco Systems, a provider of SDN and NFV solutions, earlier this month launched its Open Edge Alliance partner ecosystem for SDN and distributed NFV solutions for the network edge. Alliance members are able to develop apps that become fully certified components of carrier-grade, network-edge solutions and are able to integrate their product into their ecosystem.

Telco's U.S. headquarters is in the Boston area, and it's hoping to build up an online store of applications certified to run seamlessly on Telco Systems NFV platform CloudMetro, which is already deployed in numerous service-provider networks.

Gal Ofel, head of software solution product line management at Telco, is responsible for the alliance ecosystem and software products. Ofel tells IT Best of Breed about the alliance as well as the trends and future of SDN and NFV technology.

How is SDN changing the networking landscape in 2015?

SDN is changing the networking landscape by providing greater agility, shorter lifecycles and stronger network abstraction. This is enabling new vendors to enter the market, compete and growth much quicker than previously seen. This will start to take hold in 2015 and reach reality in 2016.

What do you see is the biggest trend in SDN and NFV today?

Today it is now understood that SDN is complementing the existing legacy networks and that SDN will have to work in parallel to legacy solutions. What this means is that communications service providers will not be replacing their entire networks, and SDN solutions will need to support a hybrid architecture.

The biggest trend in NFV today is the creation of carrier-grade solution based on the popular open source solutions.

What does Open Edge Alliance create in the industry?

It provides our ecosystem partners many benefits. With minimal investment in the process, which is especially attractive to startups and growing innovators, our ecosystem partners are able to develop apps that become fully certified components of our carrier-grade, network-edge solutions.

They are able to integrate their products rapidly into the ecosystem, which reduces their time-to-market. Most specifically, this ecosystem provides a multi-vendor solution oriented offering for numerous use cases. Examples include enterprise Infrastructure-as-a-service, (Internet Protocol television) infrastructure, activation and monitoring and Internet of Things.