The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) is pushing forward with an ambitious vision to modernize network-as-a-service (NaaS) offerings through automation, cloud integration and cybersecurity capabilities.
At this week’s MEF Global NaaS Event held in Dallas, Texas, the organization released its 2025 NaaS Blueprint while highlighting significant momentum in API adoption and security certifications, marking major steps toward achieving its vision.
The initiative combines standardized service definitions, extensive automation frameworks, security certifications and multi-cloud integration capabilities – all aimed at enabling service providers to deliver what MEF calls a true cloud experience for network services. This represents a significant evolution from traditional static network offerings to dynamic, automated services that can be provisioned and modified on demand.
“Network-as-a-service has been around for a decade plus, but I think the modernization with cloud and cybersecurity all bolted in together is revamping [NaaS] to a much more modern offering,” Pascal Menezes, MEF’s CTO, told Network World. “It’s really a cloud-like offering, cloud experience offering, from the providers to the enterprises to be able to consume networks as a service model.”
Blueprint sets framework for modern NaaS
The NaaS blueprint is a detailed document released by MEF that explains the four major themes and components of NaaS:
The blueprint serves as a guide for building an automated, federated ecosystem where enterprises can easily consume NaaS services from providers. It details the APIs, service definitions and certification programs that MEF has developed to enable this vision.
The framework allows providers to deliver services either as individual components or bundled solutions, depending on customer needs.
“Sometimes a multinational says, ‘Look, I only want on-demand NaaS because I’m going to build my own cybersecurity on top,’” Menezes said. “But sometimes a small business says ‘I don’t want to deal with all this.’ So it’s à la carte.” Bundling seems to be what smaller businesses want, he noted.
LSO APIs drive automation at scale
The technical foundation of MEF’s vision rests on its Lifecycle Service Orchestration (LSO) APIs, which have now achieved significant market traction with 160 providers adopting the framework. These APIs enable automation across the full service lifecycle, including ordering, billing, service testing, monitoring, fault management, and settlement.
Menezes said that the overarching goal is to create a fully connected and automated ecosystem where enterprises can quickly provision the NaaS services they need, across a federated network of providers.
The API framework represents eight years of development work, with MEF now releasing new service payloads. These payloads extend the framework to support various services including carrier ethernet, IP services, wavelength services, SD-WAN, and wireless applications.
Security integration reaches milestone
A key part of the MEF’s NaaS blueprint is the integration of security, specifically SASE.
NaaS is a superset of capabilities, with SASE being one of the constituent components.
MEF’s SASE certification program has now certified 15 providers and vendors, establishing what the organization calls the industry’s first comprehensive security service certification. The program evaluates providers across multiple dimensions including security functions, scalability, performance, and application assurance.
“The certification tests for security functions,” Menezes said. “Our SASE cert complies with three things: SD-WAN, SSE and Zero Trust. When all three are obtained, they get a SASE cert.”
Enterprise input shapes development
Through its Enterprise Leadership Council, comprising 14 multinational companies, MEF is incorporating direct enterprise feedback into its standards and APIs.
One recent example cited by Menezes is the addition of automated circuit impairment maintenance notifications, allowing enterprises to receive automated alerts about network issues directly into their systems.
MEF’s ultimate goal is to enable a fully automated, federated ecosystem where providers can deliver services at “cloud-like speeds” instead of the current three to nine-month timeframes.
“Automation is the hardest part to get, so that it looks like a cloud experience across the ecosystem,” he said. “What I want to see is massive growth where everybody’s fully automated and fully connected.”
Read more about NaaS
- Can NaaS mitigate network skills gaps? NaaS promises to give enterprise organizations quick access to new technologies and improved performance while also filling critical skills gaps, according to EMA Research.
- NaaS buyer’s guide: Who is selling network as a service and what do you get? Network as a service comes in five distinct flavors depending on whether it’s offered by hardware vendors, telcos, cloud providers, muticloud vendors, or WAN-transport carriers.
- Alkira expands NaaS platform with ZTNA capabilities: Network-as-a-service vendor Alkira looks to extend security down to user policies and posture for a full zero-trust approach.
- Redefining NaaS: It’s the internet: Network-as-a-service is popularly defined as expensing network technology and management rather than doing it yourself, but there’s a better way to look at it.
- Nile boosts NaaS offering with AI, customizable services: Startup Nile is filling out its cloud-based networking service with a goal of streamlining the setup and management of wired and wireless network operations.
- Aruba introduces a simplified NaaS offering: Agile NaaS brings streamlined provisioning; Aruba Central gets better visibility, performance features.
Source:: Network World