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Telcos Still Need a Plan for Application Delivery
Caroline Chappell | Analyst
Application delivery is still a loosely defined term that embraces a wide range of technologies, and telcos are trying to sort out which vendors are best placed to provide them with the right solutions.

However, little progress has been made in planning for application delivery, with fundamental issues regarding technologies and approaches still to be resolved.
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Telco Application Delivery: The Network vs. IT Power Struggle
Whether they like it or not, telcos are becoming more deeply involved in application delivery. This is inescapable in a next-generation network, where fundamental communication applications – a telco's bread-and-butter services – are built using the same development models, and in many cases the same application servers, as IT applications. Telcos that want to embrace the value-added side of owning an IP network need to view application delivery in a new light.

In a next-generation network environment, applications are separate from the network, executing in a discrete service layer – and this applies as much to IP applications as it does to the IT and Web 2.0 applications that have always run "over the top" of the network. Telcos with next-gen aspirations and infrastructure need the ability to understand and control the delivery of all three types of application: IP applications, Web 2.0 applications, and IT applications.

As telcos transform themselves into application providers, they must decide which internal organization(s) are responsible for resolving these application delivery challenges. Application delivery is an area where technology conceived to support applications running in data centers is beginning to rub up against new technologies needed to control application delivery in the network. This is not surprising given the convergence of IT/IP development approaches, tools, and technologies and the fact that the boundaries between the data center and network locations are beginning to break down.

The common delivery challenges that telcos face today for all three types of application consist of the need to optimize application performance and security, while minimizing delivery cost. These challenges are becoming increasingly complex as telcos virtualize their infrastructure, embrace the cloud, and start to deliver sophisticated, cloud-based applications. The technology solutions that address these delivery challenges are emerging from both sides of the network/IT divide, when a common approach to application delivery is urgently needed.

However, application delivery is still a loosely-defined term that embraces a wide range of technologies. Telcos are trying to sort out which vendors are best placed to provide the right solutions, and these may not be the traditional suppliers of application delivery technology for the data center/corporate network. Telcos are rationalizing the number of suppliers they are prepared to deal with, standardizing on a handful of data center and network equipment suppliers.

Telco Application Delivery: The Network vs. IT Power Struggle analyzes the next-generation application delivery challenges now faced by telcos, as well as the technology and deployment options available from IT-focused suppliers and network-focused vendors. The report identifies and evaluates the role of internal network and IT departments in developing an effective application delivery infrastructure, and profiles and analyzes ten leading suppliers of telco application delivery solutions. The report also pinpoints strategies that technology suppliers can take to win business in this emerging and vital market sector.


Sample research data from the report is shown in the excerpts below:
Table of Contents (ssi0610toc.pdf)
The following excerpt shows the types of application delivery technology supported by the vendors profiled in this report. ADC vendors dominate the figure because they are the largest identifiable group selling application delivery technology at present. Despite the overlap between ADC and WAN optimization function, several WAN optimization tools vendors do not consider themselves ADC vendors and have not been profiled in this report. As the excerpt shows, ADC vendors vary in their emphasis on the application categories they support: Some are more actively targeting IP applications, while others are specifically focused on supporting the application delivery challenges of Web 2.0 portals and players.
[click on the image above for the full excerpt]
Companies profiled in this report include: A10 Networks Inc.; Blue Coat Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: BCSI); Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO); Citrix Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS); Crescendo Networks Inc.; F5 Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: FFIV); Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL); Radware Ltd. (Nasdaq: RDWR); Solace Systems Inc.; and Zeus Technology Ltd.
Total pages: 26
FEBRUARY 2010
Beyond CRM: Customer Experience Management
This report examines the market for customer experience management tools, along with the related concepts of customer intelligence and operational intelligence. The report examines a range of products in this market and profiles 13 leading vendors, analyzing their technical approaches and market positioning.
READ SUMMARY
Including table of contents, executive summary, and financial metrics
DECEMBER 2009
The Race for SaaS: Do Telcos Have Their Heads in the Right Clouds?
This report examines SaaS strategies open to operators and the competition they face from ISVs and other cloud providers. It evaluates the advantages of augmenting an SaaS offer with PaaS and BPaaS and analyzes the telco SaaS propositions from pioneering vendors. It also profiles 11 leading vendors in the market.
READ SUMMARY
Including table of contents, executive summary, and financial metrics
SEPTEMBER 2009
Telco App Servers: NGIN Revs Up for a Serious Run at SIP
This report considers the service-layer capabilities that operators will need to establish to support third-party service development and evaluates the strategies of leading vendors of telco app server technology as they position themselves for the next evolution of this market. It also profiles 10 leading companies in the market.
READ SUMMARY
Including table of contents, executive summary, and financial metrics
SEPTEMBER 2010
Dynamic Pricing: Who Controls Next-Generation Rate Plans?
NOVEMBER 2010
The Death of the Telco Warehouse: Will Real-Time Operational Intelligence Take Over?
JANUARY 2011
Service Management in the Cloud: Do Telco Strategies Stack Up?
MARCH 2011
Next Steps for the Network Service Broker: Taking Service Interaction to a New Level
MAY 2011
New Wave B/OSS Vendors: Breaking Down the Price Barriers
* Calendar subject to change
ANALYST
Caroline Chappell
Caroline writes the Services Software Insider research newsletter, addressing the latest developments telecom service delivery technology.
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Caroline Chappell
CONTACT AUTHOR
ANALYST
Denise Culver
Denise is the author of IP Services Insider. She has more than ten years' experience in technology journalism.
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Denise Culver
CONTACT AUTHOR
ANALYST
Tim Kridel
Tim writes for both Mobile Networks Insider and Cable Industry Insider. He has previously covered the wireless and cable industries for a number of research firms, including Heavy Reading.
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Tim Kridel
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