Fujitsu is teaming up with network virtualization software vendor Midokura to develop a solution that will make it easier for enterprises to build private clouds.
The joint offering will involve integrating Midokura’s network virtualization software, MidoNet, into Fujitsu’s ServerView Resource Orchestrator (ROR), and will be based on the OpenStack open-source cloud management technology. Fujitsu is a corporate sponsor of the OpenStack Foundation, while Midokura is listed as a supporting organization.
The two companies expect the joint solution to launch in December.
Fujitsu’s ServerView ROR is designed to consolidate data center resources into virtualized pools and to enable businesses to quickly access those resources as needed. It offers self-service portals and centralized control, automated deployment and operation of virtual platforms, and virtualization dashboards for monitoring the environment. The partnership with Midokura will mean enhanced network virtualization capabilities in private clouds deployed by Fujitsu’s customers, according to Takashi Fujiwara, head of Fujitsu’s Platform Software business unit.
“To meet the needs of our cloud customers, we have responded by adding OpenStack to our solution offerings, and we are continuing to invest in many areas—such as deployment and operational support services [and] additional hardware support,” Fujiwara said in a statement.
Midokura’s MidoNet is a network overlay solution that sits atop the underlying physical infrastructure to enable network virtualization. It’s a highly distributed solution that is aimed at cloud environments, and while it can support OpenStack-based environments through a plug-in, MidoNet also can run in clouds that don’t leverage OpenStack.
Midokura co-founder and CEO Dan Mihai Dumitriu said in a statement that the joint solution with Fujitsu “will vastly simplify the building and management of private clouds” and will create a “one-stop service” that will benefit the company’s customers.
MidoNet enables businesses to create a virtual network without forcing customers to make changes to the physical network, making it easier and faster for enterprises to build their multi-tenant private clouds, officials said.
Fujitsu already has experience with Midokura. According to officials, Fujitsu used both MidoNet and OpenStack to build its ServerView ROR system.
Fujitsu for more than a year has worked to build out its software-defined networking (SDN) and network-functions virtualization (NFV) capabilities. Most recently, officials in May announced that the company was rolling out Network Virtuora NC and Network Virtuora SN-V to expand its SDN efforts to wide-area networks (WANs). Those offerings are part of Fujitsu’s larger Intelligent Networking and Computing Architecture, which is designed to bring SDN capabilities to all parts of the network.
Midokura officials in March announced it was partnering with Cumulus Networks to create a joint solution that will enable organizations to manage workloads on both virtual and physical networking infrastructures. Through the partnership, MidoNet will be able to connect to physical switches that are running Cumulus’ Linux technology, enabling network traffic to travel between virtual machines and physical systems.
With this capability, enterprises and service providers will be able to quickly provision virtual networks for physical workloads.