Honda Rides NTT Com's SDN-Powered Enterprise Cloud Service

NTT Communications is providing a global enterprise cloud service that Honda Motor Co. is leveraging for its global supplier network.

Specifically, NTT Com has been providing the automaker with its Enterprise Cloud service from delivery centers in Japan and Singapore since 2013. To date, Honda has increased its file-sharing speed by a factor of 14, while reducing operating costs by 30% on an annual basis. Honda is currently planning to expand its use of Enterprise Cloud infrastructure in other key areas of its global business.

NTT Com’s Enterprise Cloud, the first private cloud to deploy Software Defined Networking (SDN), is built on global cloud infrastructure provided from 11 delivery centers in 9 countries. The service leverages SDN to provide flexible support for critical enterprise applications.

Honda’s global network encompasses more than 10,000 suppliers and 54 countries. In 2011, it began reorganizing its internal system for development, procurement and production in specific markets, aiming to strengthen cross-group collaboration to quickly launch price-competitive products that meet local demands. Such collaboration requires the sharing of CAD and other huge data files with suppliers globally, but Honda experienced difficulties with differing systems and security levels among its many markets, resulting in slow data transfers along with added time and cost to introduce new systems.

http://www.ntt.com/enterprise_cloud_e

In May 2014, NTT Communications introduced a suite of NFV-enabled services that can be instantly activated online and are powered by Virtela's global SDN platform.  Virtela Technology Services was acquired by NTT Com in January 2014.

The new services are offered via a pay-per-use model under NTT Com’s Arcstar Universal One portfolio, which are delivered to enterprise customers in more than 190 countries/regions worldwide. The new services will become officially available for sales starting from July 2014.

NTT Com said the new cloud-based network services make branch office networking more asset-light, agile, scalable and economical.  The launch includes the following four new cloud-based network services:

• Cloud-Based Application Acceleration: Optimizes application performance over the IP-VPN network, enabling global IT consolidation and faster access to cloud-hosted applications
• Cloud-Based Firewall: This service offers Firewall, IPS, and URL Filtering options, and enables secure Internet access at branch offices using the nearest of 50 Local Cloud Networking Centers distributed globally
• Cloud-Based IPSEC VPN Gateway: Establishes quick enterprise network connections from public cloud or any site with Internet access
• Cloud-Based SSL VPN: Enables remote workers or partners using any device to access the enterprise network.

"While many industry experts and service providers have long been speaking about the potential of NFV, we are excited to become the first service providers to commercialize NFV-enabled services on a global scale," says Takashi Ooi, NTT Com’s Vice President of Enterprise Network Service.

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Equinix Delivers High Precision Time from Perseus Telecom for Financial Firms

Equinix has begun offering "High Precision Time" by Perseus Telecom to financial firms colocated in its major data centers around the world.

The service can be used by companies in the financial industry to time-stampi trades with NIST (The National Institute of Standards and Technology) timing.  Equinix and Perseus have simplified this task by offering High Precision Time to Equinix customers in Chicago (CH1), Frankfurt (FR2), London (LD4), New York (NY4) and Tokyo (TY3).

Equinix said that by offering financial firms a standardized method of time-stamping trades globally, it enables them to more efficiently and cost effectively connect to the NIST time scale in Boulder, Colo. through the very data centers in which trades are occurring.

"With its network-rich data centers and savvy customer base ready to embrace new technology, Equinix was a natural partner in making High Precision Time globally available. We anticipate great demand for our solution and are looking at deepening our relationship with Equinix in Hong Kong, São Paulo, Singapore, Sydney and Toronto to proliferate our offering," stated Dr. Jock Percy, CEO, Perseus Telecom.

http://www.equinix.com
http://perseustelecom.com/

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HP Acquires Eucalyptus to Accelerate Hybrid Cloud Adoption

HP agreed to acquire Eucalyptus, a developer of open source software for building private and hybrid enterprise clouds. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Eucalyptus, which is based in Goleta, California, offers open source software for building private clouds that are compatible with AWS APIs.

Eucalyptus Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marten Mickos, will join HP as senior vice president and general manager of the Cloud business, reporting to Meg Whitman, chairman, president and chief executive officer of HP. In this role, Mickos will lead the HP Cloud organization in building out the HP Helion portfolio, based on OpenStack technology. Prior to Eucalyptus, Mickos was CEO of MySQL, which he grew from a garage start-up to the company providing the second most widely used open source software in the world.

“The addition of Marten to HP’s world-class Cloud leadership team will strengthen and accelerate the strategy we’ve had in place for more than three years, which is to help businesses build, consume and manage open source hybrid clouds,” said Whitman.

“Eucalyptus and HP share a common vision for the future of cloud in the enterprise,” said Mickos. “Enterprises are demanding open source cloud solutions, and I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to grow the HP Helion portfolio and lead a world-class business that delivers private, hybrid, managed and public clouds to enterprise customers worldwide.”

Martin Fink, who currently leads HP’s Cloud business, will remain in his roles as chief technology officer of HP and director of HP Labs, where he will focus on innovation and creating groundbreaking solutions like The Machine. Fink will also continue to lead HP’s Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) business.

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-news/press-release.html?id=1790521#.VBKHly5dXTg

https://www.eucalyptus.com

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D-Link Ships 802.11ac Unified Wireless Access Point

D-Link introduced a high power, 802.11ac unified wireless access point with advanced radio management and security features.

The DWL-8610AP delivers maximum wireless signal rates of up to 450 Mbps using the 2.4 GHz band, and 1300 Mbps using the 5 GHz band.  It can be powered using the included AC to DC adapter, or directly through the network cable using Power over Ethernet from any switch or midspan injector that supports IEEE 802.3at.

The AP can be flexibly deployed as an autonomously managed, standalone wireless access point, or as a centrally managed access point controlled by a D-Link Unified Wireless Switch or Wireless Controller. Some additional features include:

• Band Steering: detects and steers 5 GHz capable clients away from the overcrowded 2.4 GHz network to the less congested 5 GHz network.
• Load balancing: ensures maximum performance by limiting the maximum number of users per access point.
• Beamforming technology: enables even greater reach. By focusing the wireless signal at connected devices, it guarantees continuous fast wireless speeds, even under heavy network utilization or in areas that have bad wireless signal. 
• Plenum-rated chassis: adheres to strict fire regulations for placement in air passageways.

http://www.dlink.com/dwl-8610ap

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Ericsson to Offer SAP Mobile Secure for Enterprises

Ericsson and SAP are collaborating to securely deliver network-enabled cloud solutions, which will provide users with secure access to their business apps and content on mobile devices.

Under the agreement, Ericsson will offer SAP Mobile Secure, a set of cloud-based solutions, combined with an IT managed service offering, expanding its portfolio of services available for its 400+ mobile network operators.

The companies said the partnership will bring together SAP Mobile Secure with the stability and scalability offered by Ericsson IT managed services and service delivery capabilities.  Worldwide, Ericsson manages networks that serve 600 million subscribers and additionally provides managed services for networks that serve 1 billion subscribers.

"With its heritage in mobile security, SAP is known for its ability to develop flexible offerings that can be tailored to the needs of any enterprise," said said Per Borgklint, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit Support Solutions, Ericsson. "With the increased focus of mobile workforce productivity, this solution will enable fast deployment using the software-as-a-service delivery model.  By using this model, we can serve both small enterprises that might not have expertise in IT security as well as the Fortune 100 companies with complex needs that require more customization."

"As mobile network operators (MNOs) strive to support the changing mobile needs for enterprises, the planned EMM solution from Ericsson and SAP will allow them to better address these needs with faster time to market and minimal infrastructure cost," said Rick Costanzo, executive vice president and general manager, SAP Mobile Solutions. "While demand for mobile traffic is increasing, controlling the costs of their network and driving innovation will be the keys to success for mobile network operators. Through Ericsson's long-term relationships with every major telecom operator worldwide and SAP's proven ability to deliver the most complete and scalable cloud-based mobile security solution, this collaboration will provide MNOs with new service offerings, new revenue streams and stronger ties with their customers."

http://www.ericsson.com/news/1855103

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Dell'Oro: VDSL and GPON Drive Strong Q2 Access Market

Total second quarter Access revenue, including PON, DSL, and Cable, surged 12% over the year-ago period, according to a new report from Dell'Oro Group.  This growth was driven by a greater than 30% increase in VDSL port shipments and more than 40% increase for both GPON OLT port and ONT unit shipments.  The report shows that year-on-year growth was driven by higher shipments across all regions for both technologies.

“EMEA and North America accounted for the vast majority of VDSL shipments with Western Europe being especially strong as an increasing number of operators deploy vectoring products, which can significantly increase bandwidth while using existing copper infrastructure,” said Steve Nozik, Principal Analyst of Access research at Dell’Oro Group.  “For GPON, China continues to dominate the market but there was also significant growth in other regions especially Southeast Asia, Southern Europe and the Middle East,” Nozik added.

The report shows that in the second quarter, Alcatel-Lucent continued to hold the lead for VDSL port shipments, significantly ahead of the next two top vendors, Huawei Technologies and ADTRAN.  For GPON, Huawei Technologies and ZTE were the top two vendors due largely to their market leadership position in China, followed by Alcatel-Lucent in the number three position.

http://www.delloro.com/news/vdsl-and-gpon-drive-strong-second-quarter-access-market-growth

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Ericsson Intros Cloud-enabled Media Mgt Services

Ericsson introduced new end-to-end, cloud-enabled media management services under its Broadcast and Media Services portfolio.

The company said broadcasters can use the power of public or private cloud resources to better manage secure contribution, archiving and media processing. Cloud services promise better security, agility, and efficiency while reducing upfront costs often associated with hardware and infrastructure.

Ericsson's Cloud Functionality will include:

• File receipt gateway: Mechanisms used to send files for processing, including connectivity, accelerators and content encryption
• Verification: Services that verify content is received as expected and compliant with specified standards
• Transformation: Services that prepare content for multiple platforms and territories
• Delivery: Services for the packaging and delivery of video content to its final destination

http://www.ericsson.com/news/1855184

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