The accolade was awarded for a virtualized network services solution implemented for FFastFill plc, a leading provider of application services to the global derivatives community. It has enabled FFastFill to significantly reduce the cost and complexity of its network infrastructure, shorten customer fulfilment time and deliver against strict SLAs.
Telindus’ Secure Service Agility Solution, based on Inkra Networks’ technology, underpins FFastFill’s Managed Application Service Delivery Platform. It enables services to be provisioned ‘on-demand’, allowing FFastFill to bring customers online far more rapidly and recognise revenues earlier. FFastFill estimates that the solution will reduce capital expenditure and operating costs, on this part of its service platform, by over 50%. These reductions mean FFastFill can provide its software on an ASP model at 20-30% lower cost than a typical in-house solution.
The Channel Network Awards judging panel was made up of senior industry leaders and experts including Alan Cobb, Director General of the Telecommunications Industry Association, Mike Briercliffe, Chairman of technology NGO InterForum, and Bob Jones, former holder of the European Technology Forum’s Technology Entrepreneur of the Year and Managing Director of Equiinet. The awards ceremony took place at the Grove Hotel, Hertfordshire, on 14 October and was attended by over 375 technology industry luminaries.
“Delivering on-demand application services requires a responsive network infrastructure,” said John Elmore, Technical Director at FFastFill. “The Telindus Secure Service Agility solution, based on Inkra technology, provides exactly this and allows us to offer our customers a more responsive, flexible and scalable service. It has also enabled us to drive out cost and complexity from our data centres and commit to some of the industry’s toughest SLAs. This gives us a great competitive edge and will be a key differentiator in winning new customers.”
“The Enterprise IT Solution of the Year award recognizes the project that demonstrated the strongest combination of innovation and delivery of significant Return on Investment,” said John Chapman, Channel Network Awards Chairman. “The Telindus / Inkra solution stood out as it enabled FFastFill to successfully transform its business model and enhance customer relationships. It’s a great example of technology aligned to key business goals.”
FFastFill designs and delivers application services for trading, risk management and clearing on electronic markets. Its FFastFill application suite is used by clients trading on major exchanges including EUREX, LIFFE, Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade.
Telindus’ Secure Service Agility Solution is a virtualized network services platform based on Inkra 1500 Series Virtual Service Switches from Inkra Networks. It forms an important part of the network element of FFastFill’s uniquely engineered and fully-managed application service delivery platform.
The Telindus solution uses Inkra’s technology to simplify the network infrastructure by consolidating and virtualizing multiple network IP services – including VPN, firewall, intrusion detection and prevention, load balancing, routing and SSL acceleration functions – on a single high-performance network switch that can replace tens to hundreds of separate network appliances. It can enable businesses to cut Operational Expenditure (OPEX) and Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) on network infrastructure by up to 90%.
The solution gives FFastFill greater agility in deploying its application services, allowing ‘on-demand’ customer fulfilment. Inkra’s browser-based management system enables supporting network services to be provisioned in minutes, rather than days or weeks. This means FFastFill can bring customers online more quickly and recognise revenues earlier.
FFastFill’s services are delivered against a contracted Service Level Agreement (SLA), which is tailored according to individual customer requirements. Inkra’s Virtual Service Switch provides a high-degree of resilience, full redundancy and advanced monitoring tools to ensure the availability of network services. It also enables networks services to be re-configured without any service interruption, allowing FFastFill to makes network changes without any impact on customer SLAs.
The Inkra Virtual Service Switches have been implemented by Telindus, Inkra and FFastFill in FFastFill’s operation centre in London, and the building of a similar platform in Chicago is currently underway.
