Pacnet, one of Asia Pacific's largest network carriers and data center service providers, has launched the beta version of a new networking services with advanced intelligent controls.

The Pacnet Enabled Network is a service platform that uses software defined networking technology, based on the open-source OpenFlow protocol, to give customers the ability to configure bandwidth they use flexibly, based on demand. The company says the platform is meant to give enterprises and carriers a more cloud-ready network solution.

PEN users are able to create a virtualized cross-connected environment across Pacnet's network of data centers and telecommunications infrastructure in Asia-Pacific. They can self-provision bandwidth, manage and monitor network usage and account information in real time.

Jim Fagan, president of managed services at Pacnet, said PEN would “catapult” networking into the cloud-computing age. “With the region's most extensive coverage of data centers and subsea cable network, Pacnet has the capabilities to execute and deliver next-generation tools to help our customers stay on top of their networking needs in the demanding world of cloud,” he said.

PEN currently reaches across Pacnet's 10 data centers in the region. It also offers access to a number of major carriers and other providers' data centers around Asia Pacific.

Through the virtualized cross-connected environment, customers can provision network from Pacnet's Hong Kong data center, for example, to their on-premise facilities in Australia.

Users can manage their PEN services through either an online portal or an API (application programming interface). Like Infrastructure-as-a-Service offerings, PEN are billed for the amount, quality and duration of their network usage.

Acting as a “hybrid cloud gateway,” the service also enables connections from in-house enterprise data centers or private cloud infrastructure to external cloud vendors.

The company is planning for a full launch in the first quarter of 2014.