[Case Study] Accelerating SDN Product Delivery for a Global Telecom Leader

Abstracting Cisco ACI with OpenDaylight for Rapid Deployment

For a leading global telecommunications provider, the transition from traditional NetOps to a software-centric model was hindered by a classic corporate hurdle – slow, complicated development cycles. 

By moving from a waterfall approach to Agile development, we helped them transform a vision for network abstraction, into a functional, production-ready reality in record time.

Project snapshot

[The Challenge] Overcoming the bottleneck

Before our engagement, the client operated as a traditional NetOps organization within a massive, corporate structure. Their primary challenge was the speed of their software production. 

Developing functional products that could be delivered to internal customers took ages, often resulting in over-engineered solutions that were outdated by the time they reached production.

The technical landscape was equally daunting. The client needed to deliver intuitive network applications that could abstract away the complexities of commercial SDN offerings, like Cisco ACI. 

Their goal was to enable network staff to provision data center services through a common set of operations, regardless of the underlying vendor nuances. However, without a dedicated agile pipeline, the gap between business needs and technical delivery continued to widen, leaving network engineers stuck in manual, repetitive tasks.

Our Approach: Agile Integration and SDN Abstraction

We stepped in as a strategic partner, providing engineering resources, project management, and human resources oversight. Our strategy focused on a 6-month Agile development roadmap, replacing long-term speculation with monthly sprints that delivered immediate value. The high-level strategy was built on three pillars:

1. Building the Foundation with OpenDaylight

The core of the solution involved creating a management application in OpenDaylight. We have built a new, custom, abstract and generalized YANG data model, allowing  the client’s network engineers to use Directed Graphs and Service Logic Interpreters to develop applications rapidly, without needing to be experts in the Southbound REST API of Cisco ACI.

2. Full-Stack Delivery

We developed a sophisticated Graphical User Interface that provided:

• Overlay topology visualization: for real-time network monitoring
• Self-service portals: for tenant network service provisioning and de-provisioning
• Integrated IPAM and DCIM: enhancements for better server onboarding

3. Continuous Delivery & Upskill

A defining moment of the project was our ability to pivot when technology didn’t meet business standards. Initially, the project utilized Directed Graphs (a technology from ONAP) as requested by the client. However, during the first sprints, our team identified that this stack was inefficient; debugging was slow and the complexity hindered rapid scaling.

In a traditional waterfall model, sticking to a flawed initial requirement would have led to a failed delivery. Because we worked in Agile cycles, we were able to:

• Consult and Transparently Communicate: We showed the client the pitfalls of the current stack regarding maintainability and debugging.
• Technical Course-Correction: We agreed to replace the Directed Graphs with a more reliable and scalable technology stack better suited for the project’s long-term health.
• Maintain Momentum: This shift ensured that the final product was not just “built to spec,” but was actually robust enough for production.

Beyond the pivot, we modernized Cisco ACI modules and automated F5 Load-balancers and NSX. We focused on sustainability by integrating knowledge sharing into every sprint, ensuring the client’s staff were equipped for long-term ownership.

[The Results] Engineering that works

The engagement was a resounding success, proving that even the largest NetOps organizations can adopt a software-first mindset. By focusing on repetitive, business-critical tasks, we delivered a foundation that served the business needs immediately.

Key Wins Included:

• [Business] Strategic Partnership: What began as a 6-month project evolved into a long-term relationship centered on continuous innovation.
• [Business] Drastic Reduction in Time-to-Market: Shifted from months/years to weeks for new feature deployments through Agile development.
• [Technology] Simplified Complexity: Successfully abstracted Cisco ACI nuances, allowing non-specialist engineers to manage data center services.
• [Technology] Production-Ready Innovation: Moved the vendor neutral fabric management solution from a concept, to a live production environment within the first 90 days.
• [Technology] Long-Term Scalability: Developed a Northbound API that empowered the client’s own engineers to continue building apps independently.

Ready to automate your network operations?

If your engineering team is struggling to keep up with business demands, let’s talk about how our Agile experts can accelerate your roadmap.