HP and Alcatel-Lucent are developing a Data Center Network Connect (DCNC) architecture that brings together data center technology with high-performance communications networks. 
The new DCNC, which builds on an alliance between HP and Alcatel-Lucent, aims to equip enterprises and service providers with the specific tools they need to deliver converged systems of IT and telecom infrastructures for greater flexibility. It combines HP's data center portfolio with Alcatel-Lucent's optical transport solutions for service providers and its high-performance service routing and switching portfolio, which are key elements of the Alcatel-Lucent High Leverage Network (HLN) architecture.
HP has already used Alcatel-Lucent's 1830 PSS (Photonic Service Switch) to create high-capacity optical links to interconnect HP's commercial data centers. The first two projects in Germany and Switzerland were successful, and future deployments in other HP commercial data centers are planned.
In addition, DCNC will leverage the strength of Alcatel-Lucent's recently announced CloudBand solution which accesses the power of the distributed network infrastructure to offer large enterprises and governments access to the cloud with the quality of service their activities require.
"Alcatel-Lucent and HP's solution is based on technology engineered to satisfy telecommunications service providers that expect their networks to perform with exceptional reliability and meet their needs far into the future," said Philippe Keryer, president, Networks Group, Alcatel-Lucent. "Large enterprises can confidently invest in these solutions knowing that they will receive the full benefit of their investment for years to come." http://www.hp.com http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
- In November 2011, Alcatel-Lucent unveiled its "CloudBand" architecture for delivering "virtual telco" functionality and enterprise services from cloud-enabled data centers rather than dedicated telecom platforms. CloudBand, which will be the foundation for a new class of ‘carrier cloud’ services such as IMS or video applications, leverages generic compute resources deployed in regional data centers throughout a carrier's footprint. The goal is to make the carrier infrastructure more agile, elastic, resilient and application-aware.
CloudBand is comprised of two distinct elements: the CloudBand Management System – which delivers orchestration and optimization of services between the communications network and the cloud; and the CloudBand Node, which provides the computing, storage and networking hardware and associated software to host a wide range of cloud services. CloudBand provides the interaction between the network and the cloud computing resources, which could also be located in a public cloud in addition to a carrier's regional data center. Advanced algorithms developed by Bell Labs orchestrate the network, computing and data storage elements distributed throughout the network. Market trials are expected to begin in January.
Alcatel-Lucent describes the eventual migration of telco functionality into the cloud as a journey. Only a few telco applications will be cloud-ready initially, but the company is working to cloud-enable many others. Work is underway on IMS applications. The company has also discussed cloud-enablement of RAN functionality as part of its LightRadio architecture.
