Embrane’s heleos™ is the industry’s first multi-service, distributed software platform that powers on-demand virtual network services such as server load balancing, firewalls and VPN termination. Purpose-built for those offering cloud infrastructure as a service, heleos delivers the agility - rapid procurement and provisioning, elasticity, multi-tenancy at scale and programmability - and cost savings users expect with the cloud.
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Embrane has created the industry’s first multi-service, distributed software platform, heleosTM, that powers on- demand virtual network services such as server load balancing, firewalls and VPN termination. Purpose-built for those offering cloud infrastructure as a service, heleos delivers the agility - rapid procurement and provisioning, elasticity, multi-tenancy at scale and programmability - and cost savings users expect with the cloud. The heleos Elastic Services Manager (ESM) is a critical tool for delivering these requirements of the cloud.
Service providers who have embarked on offering cloud services are constantly looking for ways to enhance their service offerings and increase their revenues while optimizing the time-to-delivery. Cloud-based layer 4-7 services offer such an opportunity for the cloud service provider (CSP) to grow their product offering. This paper takes a look at the various considerations that a CSP must evaluate to incorporate a layer 4-7 service into their portfolio. Case studies are also provided that outline the short and long-term cost comparisons of a hardware appliance, software virtual appliance, and Embrane's new heleos -powered solutions.
Service providers around the world are racing to find new and innovative ways to provide enterprises of all sizes with robust cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings. When it comes to the network, the challenge has been finding unique ways to offer value-added services that will get enterprises comfortable moving business-critical applications to the cloud. In addition to offering an innovative technical approach to delivering virtualized networks services via the heleos platform, Embrane offers cloud service providers a strong business benefit - the ability to add new layer 4-7 network services to their portfolio that will help grow revenue, increase gross margins and provide clear competitive differentiation.
Cloud computing has the potential to dramatically alter the ways in which IT resources are deployed and consumed. The advent of virtualization technology has revolutionized the server and storage industries and laid the foundation for today’s cloud computing initiatives. Unfortunately, the network has now become a major impediment to cloud adoption. Conventional networking solutions weren’t designed for the cloud and aren’t well suited for addressing the new design requirements. When it comes to layer 4-7 network services, neither hardware-based appliances nor virtual appliances can provide the required agility to support the new infrastructure paradigm.
There's been a lot of recent interest in the virtualization of network connectivity, but startup Embrane has moved beyond these fundamental issues and is addressing the virtualization of network services such as load balancing and firewalls. The now slightly less stealthy startup has announced the platform, named Heleos, and revealed more details about its design. Founded in 2009, Embrane is grappling with the challenge of unpacking the traditional practice of using physical appliances and routers and switches to deliver higher- level network services. As we detailed in our earlier report on Embrane, it provides an additional layer above hypervisors from VMware and Citrix's Xen to allow automation and scale-out of virtualized services in ways that are difficult to achieve with physical systems.
With OpenFlow and network virtualization dominating the networking news, it would be easy to label Embrane as one of the many new startups in this space. The reality is that it is neither brand new nor specifically interested in broader network virtualization. Having just completed series B funding, Embrane is working on virtualizing network services that ride above the forwarding and connectivity concerns that OpenFlow and the various fabric approaches address. These are services such as application delivery control (ADC), firewalling and even traffic optimization. It's looking to integrate both grid computing-style scaling and automation-integration capabilities with hosted and cloud services.
Service providers are exploring virtualization as an enabler of cloud infrastructures and as a vehicle for service offerings. Embrane’s software platform offers service providers the ability to offer on-demand network services designed for monetization of cloud installations.
Embrane 2012 Predictions
Dante Malagrinò, Co-Founder, President & CEO of Embrane, gives his predictions for the industry in 2012.
The Embrane Story
Embrane Co-Founder and CEO, Dante Malagrinò, tells the story behind Embrane and its mission to transform network virtualization in the cloud.
The Unique Embrane Pricing Model
Discover how Embrane is not only creating cutting-edge technology, it delivers an innovative business advantage designed for the cloud.
heleos Product Demonstration
See heleos in action in this product walkthrough demonstrating the agility and performance of the heleos distributed software platform.
Under vs. Over the Cloud Models
Learn about the two options cloud service providers have for delivering layer 4-7 virtual network services to their customers and why it’s better to go under the cloud then over it.
Company
What does Embrane do?
Conventional networking solutions were never designed for the cloud and aren’t well suited for addressing the new design requirements. When it comes to layer 4-7 network services, neither hardware-based appliances nor virtual appliances can provide the required agility to support the new infrastructure paradigm. Embrane has created the industry’s first distributed, multi-service software platform for powering virtual network services such as server load balancing, FW/VPNs, WAN Optimization, IDS/IPS, etc., on-demand.
Embrane’s platform, called heleos, is targeted to cloud service providers and enterprises building cloud infrastructure. Specifically designed for the cloud, heleos delivers the agility - rapid provisioning and procurement, elasticity, multi-tenancy at scale and programmability - and cost savings users expect with the cloud.
How long has Embrane been in business?
Embrane was founded in late 2009. We launched our first product in September 2011.
What does Embrane stand for?
While the name Embrane does not stand for anything specific, it was chosen in relationship to the M-theory, an extension of string theory, which is a mathematical model of theoretical physics that shows how all particles in the universe can be constructed by small building-blocks, somewhat like one of Embrane’s DVAs or like compute units make up a DVA. The M in M-theory is supposed to stand for Membrane, as the concept of multi-dimensional membranes, is core to the theory. One school of though is what Embrane builds could have similar unifying benefits and characteristics to what the M-theory brings to theoretical physics. Additionally, the domain name was available and that made the choice easier.
Who are Embrane’s customers?
Embrane targets cloud service providers and enterprises that are building cloud infrastructure for on-premise or hybrid cloud initiatives. Early customers include: NaviSite as well as other leading cloud providers that we cannot disclose at this time.
Does Embrane’s heleos use OpenFlow?
No, it does not. OpenFlow is a signaling protocol being promoted to facilitate software defined networking at layers 2/3 of the networking stack. It helps enable separation of control and data planes in routers and switches. Embrane has built a distributed software platform that enables the virtualization of layer 4-7 network services such as server load balancing, firewalls, VPNs, WAN Optimization, etc.
While Embrane does not use the OpenFlow protocol as it is not applicable at layer 4-7 network services, it is possible for the Embrane solution to co-exist with OpenFlow-based products.
Products
How quickly can you turn up a service?
With Embrane’s heleos, customers can procure, provision and configure a service such as a load balancer from scratch in less than two minutes.
How quickly can you grow and shrink capacity of a service?
In approximately 25 seconds you can execute a grow or shrink command that doubles the capacity of a service.
Multiple grow/shrink commands can be executed in parallel, taking as little as 35 seconds.
You can also grow capacity 8x in under a minute (55 seconds).
How much money can customers save with heleos?
Our initial calculations show that customers can generate a TCO savings ranging from 50-100% by deploying heleos. This is driven by:
- Increased revenue from rapid time to market with services and reduced customer churn by supporting their diverse network service requirements efficiently;
- Increased operational efficiency through minimal demand planning, efficient management of multi-instance environments and leveraging generic hardware for network services;
- Savings on the purchase of various hardware appliances.
What is heleos?
Embrane’s heleos is a distributed software platform for delivering high-performance, virtual network services such as server load balancers, firewalls/VPNs, WAN Optimization, Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS), etc. It is the industry’s first layer 4-7 network services platform specifically designed for the cloud.
Embrane’s heleos combines the performance and scalability advantages of a hardware-based appliance with the flexibility and simplicity of a virtualized, software-based solution. The platform includes two distinct components for provisioning and enabling these agile layer 4-7 network services for cloud infrastructure: heleos Distributed Virtual Appliances (DVAs), logical containers for running virtual network services across a pool of x86 servers; and the heleos Elastic Services Manager (ESM), a virtual procurement and provisioning tool that streamlines deployment of DVAs for services on demand.
What network services do you currently offer?
With this current release, we offer a heleos-powered load balancer and a heleos-powered FW/VPN.
What does heleos mean?
heleos is the name of our distributed software platform for virtualizing network services such as server load balancing, FW/VPNs, WAN Optimization, etc. Its name is the merging of one of the most flexible structures in the world, helix, and EOS, a play on Embrane Operating System. While heleos is not an OS, it has characteristics of one and when combined with helix it helps identify what Embrane has built – a highly scalable and flexible platform for running multiple network services.
Licensing and Billing
How does Embrane’s licensing work?
heleos DVA: Embrane has two primary modes of licensing for the heleos DVA:
- A usage-based licensing model that allows customers to pay for only what they use; and
- A subscription model that allows customers to pre-purchase capacity for a fixed term.
Both the usage-based and subscription models are sized based on the number of dedicated customer instances and the aggregate throughput needed by the cloud service provider.
Usage and subscription-based licensing are not mutually exclusive. Cloud service providers can purchase a subscription for a predictable amount of baseline capacity and leverage usage-based licensing for burst scenarios – predictable and unpredictable. This ensures an optimal use of network services for all scenarios.
heleos ESM: Embrane licenses the heleos ESM as a subscription that the service provider can pre-purchase for a fixed term.
How often/when do I pay my subscription or usage bills?
Subscriptions are paid annually in advance and usage-based fees are paid monthly.
How does Embrane bill for usage?
Billing is done on a monthly basis with amounts predicated upon
- Aggregate throughput for type of heleos-powered network services consumed; and
- The Number of DVA instances activated.
This aligns with a service provider’s ability to monetize network services and pay Embrane for what was consumed by their end customers.
What do I do from a licensing perspective if I want to add more instances or new services? Do I need a license key when I add more services, capacity, instances, etc.?
Embrane’s licensing model for heleos-powered network services is completely keyless, allowing customers to have complete control over adding new capacity. It is as simple as leveraging heleos ESM to add more capacity - provision more instances or increase throughput - to their existing environment.
Is there any upfront investment/cost customers have to make prior to deploying heleos?
Embrane does not cost the customer any significant upfront capital expenditure. Deploying heleos is as easy as downloading the software, deploying it and starting to use it.
Embrane’s licensing model is fully aligned with the cloud service provider’s monetization model for the cloud. Customers pay a nominal subscription fee for the heleos ESM, which enables the procuring and provisioning of Embrane’s virtual network services without any constraints.
Adopting the usage-based licensing model allows the service provider to then pay for only the network services that their customers consume. The model is fully keyless.
How much does heleos cost?
Pricing will vary by customer as we’ve implemented a pay-for-use model with minimal up-front costs. For details, please contact sales@embrane.com
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