Aricent adds OpenFlow to its Wireline Communications Portfolio to Support Network Evolution

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J., Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Aricent Group, a global innovation and technology services company, today announced the addition of OpenFlow and Software Defined Networking (SDN) software frameworks and services to its field-proven wireline communications portfolio. Among the first of its kind, Aricent's OpenFlow Client software and world-class product lifecycle services help telecom equipment manufacturers (TEMs) deliver the next-generation of OpenFlow and SDN products to power the networks of tomorrow.

To further solidify its strong commitment to OpenFlow and SDN technologies, Aricent has joined the Open Networking Foundation (ONF), a non-profit consortium dedicated to the promotion and commercialization of SDN. SDN, an evolving architecture which decouples the control and data planes, opens up the opportunity for rapid innovation and optimization of routing and switching equipment. OpenFlow provides the fundamental foundation for SDN, and is the leading architecture driving the adoption of this new wave of telecom networking standards and concepts.

Aricent will bring more than 20 years of telecom expertise to the ONF, in support of the development of next-generation systems based on the SDN architecture. As a global leader in providing software frameworks and services for L2/L3 routing and switching equipment and solutions, Aricent supports the Foundations' mission to commercialize and promote SDN and its underlying technologies as a disruptive approach to networking that will change how any company with a network operates. Aricent, along with other member companies of the Foundation, will help define architectural frameworks and technical standards, encourage the deployment of a SDN ecosystem, and accelerate the adoption of SDN technologies and standards, helping to make OpenFlow-based SDN the new norm for networks. As such, Aricent will continue to keep its software and services offerings up-to-date with the latest SDN specifications.

"SDN has been gaining momentum and we have seen a significant increase in our membership as more companies, including global industry players, have embraced OpenFlow," said Dan Pitt, Executive Director at the Open Networking Foundation. "By utilizing open standards, member companies can provide a larger choice for customers to ensure better integration and interoperability between different players within the SDN ecosystem, thus accelerating the delivery of SDN's benefits to the market."

Aricent's innovative OpenFlow Client software is a portable implementation that can be customized and deployed for both hybrid and pure OpenFlow architectures. The OpenFlow Client, in combination with Aricent's other leading software frameworks for WLAN, data centers, transport networks, and others, enables TEMs to develop high-quality OpenFlow and SDN controllers as well. In addition to its software packages, Aricent provides OpenFlow expertise and services for the design, development, testing, and maintenance of OpenFlow and SDN networking solutions.

 "OpenFlow is a tremendous opportunity for network innovation and we are really excited about its potential applications. Our membership with ONF further underscores our commitment, both to the technology and to our customers, towards cost-effectively co-creating cutting-edge next-generation networks," said Sridhar Raju, Assistant Vice President and Head of the Wireline Communications Practice at Aricent.

For more information on Aricent's OpenFlow and SDN please visit: http://www.aricent.com/pdf/Aricent_Solution_Brief_SDN_OpenFlow.pdf

About Aricent
Aricent is a global innovation, technology, and services company focused exclusively on communications. Aricent combines the leading innovation capabilities of frog with unparalleled domain expertise in communications as a strategic supplier to the world's foremost infrastructure, application and service providers. The company's investors include Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., Sequoia Capital, The Family Office, and The Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board. For more information, visit www.aricent.com.

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SOURCE Aricent Group