Testapedia: Test in the Era of Vitualization

Communications networks are being virtualized because virtualization provides remarkable benefits. Virtualization complicates operations, however. The responsibility for dealing with many of those complications falls on test & measurement companies. Even some of the network operators who are virtualizing as quickly as technology allows have not anticipated some of these issues. In this one-hour discussion, four leading T&M companies will not only identify the hidden pitfalls of virtualization, but talk about some of the best ways to side-step them. Industry collaboration is key to developing NFV testing and validation techniques that provide carriers with the assurance needed to move virtualization technologies from the lab to production. The importance of active, software-based test and service assurance becomes even greater as operators must ensure that their services are delivered right the first time and any issues can be detected in real-time in an end-to-end manner. Automation will be a key enabler of service agility. And at the end of the day -- or more accurately, at the edge of a virtualized network -- signal integrity will remain critical.