What is network as a service (NaaS)?
Network as a service (NaaS) is a cloud model for delivering various network services virtually on a subscription basis.
Configuring and operating network components, such as routers, protocols, wide area network optimizers, firewalls and software-defined WAN (SD-WAN), can be time-consuming and complicated. With NaaS, a third-party provider handles those responsibilities and makes them available to enterprise customers.
Depending on the provider, a NaaS subscription offers many services. Some providers have specific focus areas, such as ultrasecure connectivity, ultrasimple configuration, or services for mobile and temporary locations. Services common to NaaS infrastructures include the following:
- Network optimization.
- Network security.
- SD-WAN.
- Wireless networking.
- Virtual private network.
NaaS essentially makes the network another utility the organization pays for, like electricity, water or heat. Small and medium-sized businesses are the classic NaaS buyers, especially those with no existing WAN investment. With the rise of many other as-a-service models in the past decade, larger organizations have also become more interested in NaaS.
With NaaS, network teams manage the organization's network through a portal instead of a patchwork of network management tools and stacks of hardware. Users can add a new location to the organization's WAN by connecting it to the NaaS provider's nearest point of presence (POP) either directly through a leased line to a nearby data center or over the internet.
Benefits of NaaS
One of the most appealing benefits of NaaS is cost efficiency. NaaS appeals to new business owners because it avoids much of the capital investment expenses for network hardware. This also simplifies network management and reduces the amount of staff time required to maintain the network. As a result, it reduces the level of training and skill required of staff.
One of the primary business concerns of NaaS is resilience, which guarantees uptime to a location. SD-WAN technology addresses uptime concerns because it simplifies using multiple network links to provide connectivity to the NaaS backbone and other NaaS sites across the internet. SD-WAN also helps resolve traffic engineering concerns for demanding applications, such as voice over Internet Protocol.
Other NaaS benefits include the following:
- Scalability. NaaS architectures are more scalable than traditional hardware networks. Organizations can simply purchase more capacity as the need arises.
- Flexibility. Since NaaS networks are software-based, they offer greater customization than traditional hardware-based networks. This means networks can be vendor-neutral and teams can easily reconfigure them.
- Improved security. NaaS providers can offer both network services and security services instead of teams having to purchase them separately. NaaS also offers faster access to newer technology, reducing security risks on legacy devices.
Additional NaaS considerations
Other NaaS concerns include how to deal with service-level agreements and compliance issues related to data sovereignty. There's also the question of who manages the last-mile connectivity that links each site to the nearest POP. The NaaS provider might handle this as part of the service, or the responsibility might fall on the customer.
