---
name: vpc-vnf-about
title: About virtual network functions over VPC
description: Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is the network infrastructure behind virtualizing network services (such as routers, firewalls, and load balancers) that were traditionally run on proprietary hardware. These services, called Virtual Network Functions (VNFs), are packaged as virtual machines (VMs) on commodity hardware, which allows service providers to run their networks on standard servers instead of proprietary ones. This third-party software interacts with the IBM Software-Defined Networking (SDN) controller to offer easy configuration, centralized management, and lower operational costs.
last-updated: 2023-01-27
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/vpc?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# About virtual network functions over VPC
{: #about-vnf}

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is the network infrastructure behind virtualizing network services (such as routers, firewalls, and load balancers) that were traditionally run on proprietary hardware. These services, called Virtual Network Functions (VNFs), are packaged as virtual machines (VMs) on commodity hardware, which allows service providers to run their networks on standard servers instead of proprietary ones. This third-party software interacts with the IBM Software-Defined Networking (SDN) controller to offer easy configuration, centralized management, and lower operational costs.
{: shortdesc}

Working along with IBM Cloud® Schematics (Infrastructure as Code) and the IBM Content catalog, customers are able to instantiate best-in-network solutions to manage their workload.

Benefits include:

* Instantiating virtual network services and modifying configurations without the need to deploy new network hardware.
* Rapid service delivery with the agility to scale well above physical hardware.
* Centralized policy control.
* Using the same routers, firewalls, load balancers, and VPNs in IBM Cloud that were used in physical hardware or other cloud providers.