CmartCo

Traditional IP networks are built based on monolithic software and proprietary hardware from the same vendor, packaged into a vendor-locked solution. With this approach your choices are limited to a small number of vendors, costs are high and you are locked-in with a single vendor for the duration of the solutions lifecycle in the network.

Disaggregation separates router software from the underlying hardware and provides Open APIs to enable control and automation of the network elements. As such the hardware is a whitebox based on merchant silicon (bottom part of the picture) and the software (upper part of the picture) is an open or commercial Network Operating System (NOS).  With this approach service providers, can choose hardware and software independently, from a range of vendors that best meet their requirements. This open disaggregated routing approach enables faster innovation, avoids vendor lock-in and lowers the Total Cost of Ownership.