rus
RUSSIAN VENDOR OF WORLD-CLASS HIGH-PERFORMANCE NETWORK SOLUTIONS
D.A.Nikiforov, CEO of RDP, says
DOI: 10.22184/2070-8963.2021.98.6.21.23
RDP (Research & Development Partners) Moscow company, a resident of the leading Russian innovation center Skolkovo, works in the high-tech area of software and hardware and software systems for high-performance processing of network traffic for large, medium and small telecom operators. Being a traditional supplier of intelligent equipment for the largest fixed-line operator Rostelecom and other Russian operators, the company entered the global telecommunications market in 2016, and has already achieved recognition from telecom operators in many regions of the world. On the eve of RDP’s next participation in GITEX Technology Week its CEO, D.A.Nikiforov, answered the magazine’s questions.
How did RDP start?
The RDP company was founded in 2010 by the owners of the ISP from the Moscow region, Ecotelecom, Sergey Nikulin and Nikolai Guzakov. The first customer was Ecotelecom, which is quite logical, since it was and remains an excellent opportunity to test in real life what the operator’s market needs at the moment. It was at that moment that one of the ISP’s tasks was to replace the network core equipment, an alternative solution. As a result, the operator replaced the network core infrastructure with 100% RDP equipment.
Was it hard?
Yes and no. The process from the founding of RDP to the full implementation of its solutions in the core of the operator’s network took almost five years. We were constantly testing and refining products. The "net" time spent on implementation took about three months. However, if today a potential customer decides to switch to a certain RDP solution, then the implementation will, of course, be much faster, since all the main "sores" have long been eliminated.
To explain the stages of implementing RDP solutions on the operator’s network, it is best to use the quote of Sergey Savchuk, Development Director of Ecotelecom: "First of all, we can state that when switching to RDP network solutions, none of our more than 70,000 subscribers experienced any problems with the quality of the communication services provided.
Historically, our transition to new equipment has looked like this. At the beginning of 2016, the first Russian-developed products that took their place in our racks wereCG-NAT address translation devices. The reason is trivial: we no longer have enough IP addresses. The next step was the implementation of URL filtering in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media. This did not cause any special labor costs, since to enable this functionality, it was simply necessary to replace the firmware on the already installed CG-NAT equipment. Further, we were puzzled by the need to increase subscriber loyalty and reduce natural churn by introducing the functionality of the EcoQoE software component."
What are the main activities of the company? What segments of the telecommunications market do you consider a priority for yourself today, do you plan to continue working with the SMB segment?
Like throughout the entire history of the company, we work in two segments: medium and large business. A feature of our solutions is the ability to easily scale along with the growth of customer needs. To expand the functionality of our EcoSGE universal software and hardware service platform, you just need to change the license. For instance, at the first stage the customer only needed CG-NAT, but at the next stages the BRAS functionality was required. In this case, it is enough just to buy a license, not hardware. And the desired functionality is at your disposal!
In addition to the already classic directions of our activity – CG-NAT, BRAS, DPI, QoE, URL filtering – we are also developing the direction of programmable EcoSwitch switches with high performance: up to 6.4 Tbit/s. Moreover, we are always open to all kinds of integration into various solutions, one way or another related to telecom.
Like which?
For example, together with Netams, we have integrated our hardware platforms into the WNAM (Wireless Network Access Manager) product based on the Managed Wi-Fi approach. Simply put, these are rapidly deployable and highly loaded Wi-Fi networks for corporate and guest access in hotels, airports, restaurants and other mass populated places.
The result was an interesting solution for both end customers and partners, telecom operators, since in most cases it is compatible with the existing equipment of operators and allows them to expand their service portfolio and increase revenue.
Unlike many Russian vendors, you supply not only software, but also hardware and software solutions. What are the advantages of such an approach?
Yes, this is our basic concept, since only in the case of equipment targeting our software solutions, guaranteed high performance and reliability of operation is possible. I would also like to draw your attention to another very important point for our clients: we are fully responsible for the solution. Unlike purely software companies, which are not responsible for the hardware.
We are not against the "software approach"; we rather support a kind of symbiosis.
Your company offers free equipment testing. How is it done?
We sell all equipment through our partners: integrators, consulting companies, telecom operators, etc. To start testing, you need to decide through which partner you will be more comfortable doing this. We can advise if you cannot choose a suitable partner from the list on our website.
After choosing a partner, a manager is assigned to you, who is ready to answer primary questions, determine the task, and, if necessary, attract RDP specialists. When the task is clearly defined, a suitable RDP solution will be selected for it.
The final stage before buying is the testing stage. We provide the partner assigned to your company with all the necessary equipment, advise and help in setting it up at all stages of testing. The testing period is determined based on the customer’s tasks and is not strictly regulated, but as a rule, the test lasts about one month.
Upon completion of testing, the customer has the right to refuse the solution used.
How many eventually refuse?
Now the refusal rate is around 20%, but we are trying to reduce this figure. For instance, we carry out some testing in the cloud by virtualizing our products.
What RDP products are the most in-demand in foreign markets?
To be as competitive as possible, we try to constantly monitor foreign markets, since initially our products were developed with an eye on international vendors.
Today we see interest in DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) solutions, since traffic is growing for everyone and exponentially, while this traffic must be managed.
What do you mean?
A simple example. ISPs periodically have a problem with "clogging the pipe": where the channel is fully occupied by subscribers who use the torrent. In this case, our DPI solutions are able to select such traffic and send it, e.g., over a cheaper communication channel, which will lead to savings for the operator.
Is it possible to block such traffic too?
It is. Our technology allows you to decompose traffic into layers and do almost anything with them: block, prioritize, redirect, etc. DPI allows you to restore the connectivity of hosts: you can take any traffic and, in the event of disconnection in a matter of milliseconds, redirect it over the backup channel so that users will not even notice it. There are a lot of examples, it is important to proceed from the specific tasks of the customer. Better ask our specialists how they can help.
What are the main arguments in favor of foreign customers choosing your products?
It all depends on the specific country and the chosen solution, but something can be generalized. The companies choose RDP solutions because:
Thank you for the interesting conversation.
D.A.Nikiforov was interviewed by S.A.Popov
D.A.Nikiforov, CEO of RDP, says
DOI: 10.22184/2070-8963.2021.98.6.21.23
RDP (Research & Development Partners) Moscow company, a resident of the leading Russian innovation center Skolkovo, works in the high-tech area of software and hardware and software systems for high-performance processing of network traffic for large, medium and small telecom operators. Being a traditional supplier of intelligent equipment for the largest fixed-line operator Rostelecom and other Russian operators, the company entered the global telecommunications market in 2016, and has already achieved recognition from telecom operators in many regions of the world. On the eve of RDP’s next participation in GITEX Technology Week its CEO, D.A.Nikiforov, answered the magazine’s questions.
How did RDP start?
The RDP company was founded in 2010 by the owners of the ISP from the Moscow region, Ecotelecom, Sergey Nikulin and Nikolai Guzakov. The first customer was Ecotelecom, which is quite logical, since it was and remains an excellent opportunity to test in real life what the operator’s market needs at the moment. It was at that moment that one of the ISP’s tasks was to replace the network core equipment, an alternative solution. As a result, the operator replaced the network core infrastructure with 100% RDP equipment.
Was it hard?
Yes and no. The process from the founding of RDP to the full implementation of its solutions in the core of the operator’s network took almost five years. We were constantly testing and refining products. The "net" time spent on implementation took about three months. However, if today a potential customer decides to switch to a certain RDP solution, then the implementation will, of course, be much faster, since all the main "sores" have long been eliminated.
To explain the stages of implementing RDP solutions on the operator’s network, it is best to use the quote of Sergey Savchuk, Development Director of Ecotelecom: "First of all, we can state that when switching to RDP network solutions, none of our more than 70,000 subscribers experienced any problems with the quality of the communication services provided.
Historically, our transition to new equipment has looked like this. At the beginning of 2016, the first Russian-developed products that took their place in our racks wereCG-NAT address translation devices. The reason is trivial: we no longer have enough IP addresses. The next step was the implementation of URL filtering in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media. This did not cause any special labor costs, since to enable this functionality, it was simply necessary to replace the firmware on the already installed CG-NAT equipment. Further, we were puzzled by the need to increase subscriber loyalty and reduce natural churn by introducing the functionality of the EcoQoE software component."
What are the main activities of the company? What segments of the telecommunications market do you consider a priority for yourself today, do you plan to continue working with the SMB segment?
Like throughout the entire history of the company, we work in two segments: medium and large business. A feature of our solutions is the ability to easily scale along with the growth of customer needs. To expand the functionality of our EcoSGE universal software and hardware service platform, you just need to change the license. For instance, at the first stage the customer only needed CG-NAT, but at the next stages the BRAS functionality was required. In this case, it is enough just to buy a license, not hardware. And the desired functionality is at your disposal!
In addition to the already classic directions of our activity – CG-NAT, BRAS, DPI, QoE, URL filtering – we are also developing the direction of programmable EcoSwitch switches with high performance: up to 6.4 Tbit/s. Moreover, we are always open to all kinds of integration into various solutions, one way or another related to telecom.
Like which?
For example, together with Netams, we have integrated our hardware platforms into the WNAM (Wireless Network Access Manager) product based on the Managed Wi-Fi approach. Simply put, these are rapidly deployable and highly loaded Wi-Fi networks for corporate and guest access in hotels, airports, restaurants and other mass populated places.
The result was an interesting solution for both end customers and partners, telecom operators, since in most cases it is compatible with the existing equipment of operators and allows them to expand their service portfolio and increase revenue.
Unlike many Russian vendors, you supply not only software, but also hardware and software solutions. What are the advantages of such an approach?
Yes, this is our basic concept, since only in the case of equipment targeting our software solutions, guaranteed high performance and reliability of operation is possible. I would also like to draw your attention to another very important point for our clients: we are fully responsible for the solution. Unlike purely software companies, which are not responsible for the hardware.
We are not against the "software approach"; we rather support a kind of symbiosis.
Your company offers free equipment testing. How is it done?
We sell all equipment through our partners: integrators, consulting companies, telecom operators, etc. To start testing, you need to decide through which partner you will be more comfortable doing this. We can advise if you cannot choose a suitable partner from the list on our website.
After choosing a partner, a manager is assigned to you, who is ready to answer primary questions, determine the task, and, if necessary, attract RDP specialists. When the task is clearly defined, a suitable RDP solution will be selected for it.
The final stage before buying is the testing stage. We provide the partner assigned to your company with all the necessary equipment, advise and help in setting it up at all stages of testing. The testing period is determined based on the customer’s tasks and is not strictly regulated, but as a rule, the test lasts about one month.
Upon completion of testing, the customer has the right to refuse the solution used.
How many eventually refuse?
Now the refusal rate is around 20%, but we are trying to reduce this figure. For instance, we carry out some testing in the cloud by virtualizing our products.
What RDP products are the most in-demand in foreign markets?
To be as competitive as possible, we try to constantly monitor foreign markets, since initially our products were developed with an eye on international vendors.
Today we see interest in DPI (Deep Packet Inspection) solutions, since traffic is growing for everyone and exponentially, while this traffic must be managed.
What do you mean?
A simple example. ISPs periodically have a problem with "clogging the pipe": where the channel is fully occupied by subscribers who use the torrent. In this case, our DPI solutions are able to select such traffic and send it, e.g., over a cheaper communication channel, which will lead to savings for the operator.
Is it possible to block such traffic too?
It is. Our technology allows you to decompose traffic into layers and do almost anything with them: block, prioritize, redirect, etc. DPI allows you to restore the connectivity of hosts: you can take any traffic and, in the event of disconnection in a matter of milliseconds, redirect it over the backup channel so that users will not even notice it. There are a lot of examples, it is important to proceed from the specific tasks of the customer. Better ask our specialists how they can help.
What are the main arguments in favor of foreign customers choosing your products?
It all depends on the specific country and the chosen solution, but something can be generalized. The companies choose RDP solutions because:
- They provide a balance of performance/cost that is comfortable for the customer;
- We have rich experience in building DPI solutions, the interest in which is growing every year;
- We are responsible for the entire hardware and software complex;
- We have high-quality technical support;
- We are ready to individually customize solutions for the needs of customers.
Thank you for the interesting conversation.
D.A.Nikiforov was interviewed by S.A.Popov
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