Verizon Enterprise Solutions selected Ericsson to provide software that helps it with the overall management and orchestration of virtual network functions (VNFs).

Ericsson is providing Verizon with dynamic orchestration and service assurance. And the vendor will help third parties create, test, and on-board VNFs into Verizon’s network.

The Verizon Enterprise group already provides virtual functions, such as its software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN). Verizon uses Viptela’s SD-WAN, and it monitors the service with software from SevOne.

In the deal with Ericsson, Verizon will use the vendor’s software so customers can do self-service ordering and configuration of VNFs and take advantage of flexible payment models. Enterprises will be able to order virtual functions from a catalog. Initial VNFs will include security, WAN optimization, and data center load balancing.

As part of Verizon's managed SD-WAN, Ericsson's software will help Verizon to manage and orchestrate hybrid client networks in real time.

The software that Ericsson is providing to Verizon includes its Cloud Manager for model-driven configuration management and its Order Care, which provides the orchestration engine. Ericsson’s VNF Factory enables efficient on-boarding and validation of VNFs into Verizon's ecosystem.

"This project grew out of Verizon's long-standing relationship with Ericsson and builds on the successful launch of our mobile offering that leverages Ericsson's cloud orchestration solutions to provide VPN capabilities for mobile devices,” said Shawn Hakl, VP of networking and security with Verizon, in a prepared statement.

Verizon also tapped Ericsson to help create a partner ecosystem for enterprise VNFs. Third parties will provide VNFs that can be tested and on-boarded to Verizon's VNF catalog for selection by its enterprise customers.

Selecting one vendor to oversee a service provider’s VNF ecosystem is one technique providers are using to take some of the risk out of network virtualization.