CENX Cortx Service Orchestrator Ushers in The Third Network

Ecosystem Enables Agile, Assured, Orchestrated Services

OTTAWA, Sept. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - CENX, a global leader of Service Orchestration solutions for software-defined networks, today announced that it is collaborating with MEF member companies, Accedian Networks, EXFO and  JDSU, for product interoperability, to usher in the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) vision of The Third Network.  MEF's vision of a new network, which marries the ubiquity of the public Internet with the performance and security benefits of private networks, can only be realized with a vendor ecosystem that supports open programmable interfaces for agile service fulfillment and assurance.

"CENX continues to be solidly aligned with MEF initiatives with Cortx Service Orchestrator. We are committed to the realization of The Third Network vision," said Chris Purdy, CTO of CENX. "Our successful cooperation with Accedian Networks, EXFO and JDSU paves the way to achieving the goal of on-demand, dynamically-upgradeable, quality-assured network services."

The Third Network vision converges with other industry initiatives: LTE, Cloud, SDN and NFV. This networking transformation brings tremendous revenue and savings opportunities yet introduces complexity to service providers' operations.  CENX's Cortx Service Orchestrator provides the needed abstraction layer for streamlined services management across network domains and technologies.  Using open interfaces, Cortx Service Orchestrator interoperates with a broad industry ecosystem, including leading probe and test vendors, OSS, NMS, SDN Controllers, NFV Orchestrators, and network elements, to initiate actions and mine network big data in real-time.  Analytics results are visualized on the Cortx graphical dashboards.

• CENX has partnered with Accedian for its real-time network monitoring capabilities.  The Accedian V-NID solution measures network performance from the core to edge and sends detailed metrics to the Cortx Service Orchestrator, enabling services turn-up verification and continuous SLA monitoring.
  "The Cortx Service Orchestrator unifies multi-vendor networks in the same way our V-NID platform captures the Network State," explained Scott Sumner, VP Solutions Development. "Combining orchestration with a live Quality of Service (QoS) feed means intelligent decisions can be made to optimize performance, dynamically."
• CENX's Cortx Service Orchestrator and EXFO's BrixWorx assurance system are jointly deployed at a mobile Tier 1 service provider for real-time troubleshooting and SLA management in its backhaul network.  The BrixWorx system delivers highly scalable and reliable service validation and assurance for IP/Ethernet services, enabling secure, remote deployment and management across the entire network.  Cortx Service Orchestrator consumes BrixWorx's Service Operations, Administration and Maintenance (SOAM) test results for real-time analytics of utilization and performance. 
  "Leveraging the advanced activation, monitoring and reporting capabilities from EXFO's service validation and assurance solution,  CENX Cortx Service Orchestrator gives the operator complete visibility into every layer of the infrastructure, from transport to advance services, making it simple to segment the network to predict and diagnose faults as well as targeting diagnostic efforts towards specific network areas for faster and more effective intervention," said Claudio Mazzuca, VP of EXFO's Service Assurance Division.
• CENX's Cortx Service Orchestrator has been jointly deployed with JDSU's EtherAssure Solution  in a Tier 1 service provider's mobile backhaul network for service activation, real-time fault isolation, and performance management.  The JDSU EtherAssure solution, combined with PacketPortal JMEP (JDSU's Micro Ethernet Probe), is a scalable, vendor-agnostic, end-to-end assurance solution for Ethernet services activation and real-time monitoring. 
  "JDSU EtherAssure, together with CENX Cortx Service Orchestrator, uniquely simplifies and scales Ethernet lifecycle management from order entry, to service activation and performance monitoring,"  said  Richard Piasentin, VP and GM of JDSU PacketPortal and Ethernet Assurance business.

CENX will be discussing its capabilities in support of The Third Network at the MEF GEN14 event, November 17-20^th and at SDN & OpenFlow World Congress, October 14-17^th.

About CENX
CENX provides Service Orchestration solutions that automate the entire lifecycle of advanced data services in software-defined networks.  We harness the power of big data, distributed virtualized computing and real-time analytics to dynamically orchestrate and assure services across multiple network technologies and providers.  CENX solutions are deployed by service providers worldwide to create new revenue streams, gain service agility, reduce operational costs, and deliver quality-assured data services. www.cenx.com

About Accedian Networks
Accedian Networks is the Performance Assurance Solution Specialist for mobile backhaul & small cells, business services and service provider SDN.  Open, multi-vendor interoperable and programmable solutions go beyond standard-based performance assurance to deliver Network State+™, the most complete view of network health.  www.Accedian.com

About EXFO
Listed on the NASDAQ and TSX stock exchanges, EXFO is a leading provider of next-generation test, service assurance and end-to-end quality of experience solutions for mobile and fixed network operators and equipment manufacturers in the global telecommunications industry. EXFO's intelligent solutions with contextually relevant analytics improve end-user quality of experience, enhance network performance and drive operational efficiencies throughout the network and service delivery lifecycle. Key technologies supported include 3G, 4G/LTE, VoLTE, IMS, video, Ethernet/IP, SNMP, OTN, FTTx, xDSL and various optical technologies accounting for more than 38% of the global portable fiber-optic test market. EXFO has a staff of approximately 1600 people in 25 countries, supporting more than 2000 customers worldwide. www.EXFO.com

About JDSU
JDSU (NASDAQ: JDSU) is the worldwide leading provider of Network and Service Enablement solutions including testing, monitoring, assurance, and analytics. JDSU helps customers overcome the operational challenges faced when dealing with new technology and service introductions. JDSU is working with partners such as CENX to develop next-generation virtualized solutions used for the monitoring and assurance of next-generation networks.  www.JDSU.com

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CENX, MEF, Service Orchestration, Cortx Service Orchestrator, Ethernet transport services, Carrier Ethernet, software-defined networking, SDN, network functions virtualization, NFV, cloud data center, Ethernet access, mobile backhaul, big data analytics, network monitoring, next-generation OSS

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