network as a service (cloud computing) (NaaS)

Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) is a business model that delivers network services virtually over the Internet. NaaS involves the allocation of resources and treats the network and computing resources as a unified whole. NaaS services can be billed as pay-per-use or on a subscription basis with the NaaS provider. To use the NaaS services, the customer only needs a computer with Internet access and access to the NaaS provider.

The NaaS concept can be deployed in software-defined WANs( SD-WAN). It can be extremely beneficial for small businesses and those that don't want to build a large IT department, because companies don't have to make large investments in hardware and personnel and only pay for services they use.

Network-as-a-Service is not a new concept, but has been influenced by the development of cloud services. This applies in particular to the availability of services, computing power and the reliability of the provider. NaaS services can be provided via virtual network services and include network virtualization such as with the OpenFlowprotocol.

Service models provided by Network-as-a-Service include virtual private networks( VPN) for extending enterprise networks and resources contained within the network. Such a hybrid network of VPN and Internet can be used like an enterprise network. Bandwidth-on-demand is another NaaS service with which the bandwidth of the transmission links can be dynamically adapted to the traffic. And with the NaaS service Mobile Network Virtualization, networks can be built from mobile networks and WLANs and used by third parties for a fee.