Monday, September 15, 2014

Brocade Acquires Vistapointe for Mobile Traffic Visibility/Analytics

Brocade has acquired Vistapointe, a start-up based in San Ramon, California with operations in Ireland and Bangalore, India, for its cloud-based and real-time network intelligence solutions for mobile operators. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Vistapointe specializes in data extraction, analysis and insight generation technologies that enable mobile operators gain visibility into their mobile networks. Vistapointe’s product portfolio leverages Network Functions Virtualization (NFV architecture), enabling it to run in the cloud. The Vistapointe solution enables Mobile and Het-Net operators to monetize the explosion of data traffic, save and optimize their cost-structure through better visibility and reduce subscriber churn through better QoE. The solution passively taps into the data, session and signaling layers of 3G, 4G LTE and Wi-Fi networks non-intrusively, while complying with 3GPP, IETF & IEEE standard protocols.

Brocade said the acquisition helps it to address the emerging opportunities and requirements of mobile network operators, providing them with enhanced network visibility and analytics of subscriber data traffic.   These capabilities will be essential for MNOs rolling out 4G/LTE technology across the billions of mobile devices deployed worldwide, led primarily by data networking requirements. This also establishes a firm technology foundation for MNOs as they begin the migration path to 5G technology in the coming years. The expected revenue for data traffic over mobile handsets will exceed $358 billion (USD) by 2018, representing the single largest source of revenue for MNOs over the next six years, according to industry research firm Analysys Mason.

In addition to enhancing the Brocade NFV technology portfolio, the Vistapointe acquisition directly complements the existing Brocade MLX-based IP telemetry solution to provide MNOs with an end-to-end network intelligence solution, from the network packet broker to analytics applications. With this transaction, the Vistapointe technologies are being incorporated into a new Network Visibility and Analytics group reporting into Jason Nolet, Vice President of the Switching, Routing, and Analytics products group, Brocade.

"With the massive growth in connected devices and the dominance of data in mobile networks, network visibility and analytics will be more important than ever. And, as mobile operators continue the aggressive pace at which they intend to adopt software networking solutions, they will benefit from complementary, NFV-based analytics tools to improve subscriber quality of experience and security while also dramatically reducing costs," Nolet said. "The Vistapointe team has recognized the disruptive opportunity of leveraging NFV-based solutions for analytics, and we believe its technology is at the forefront of this space and perfectly aligned to the needs of mobile operators."

"The Vistapointe acquisition affirms our commitment to SDN and NFV as a means to disrupt the status quo of the networking industry," said Ken Cheng, CTO and Vice President of Corporate Development, Brocade. "We will continue to execute against a focused strategy that leverages M&A, strategic partnerships, open source communities, and organic innovation to deliver next-generation networking solutions that are open, virtual, and simple."

As part of the transaction, Vistapointe CEO, Ravi Medikonda, has joined Brocade as Vice President of the Network Visibility and Analytics product group. Furthermore, Brocade has hired the Vistapointe development team, and they will report into Medikonda as part of the new business unit.

http://newsroom.brocade.com/press-releases/brocade-acquires-vistapointe-visibility-and-analyt-nasdaq-brcd-1144303#.VBb_m_ldW1g
http://vistapointe.net/


  • Vistapointe was headed by Ravi Medikonda (CEO), who previously held leadership roles at Juniper Networks in its Product Management & Marketing groups. Before Juniper, he was Director of Product Management at Tellabs/Vivace Business Unit with P&L responsibility for the IP/MPLS products and successfully led Tellabs into the 3G/Wireless RAN backhaul market.


Huawei's FusionSphere 5.0 Builds on OpenStack

At its Cloud Congress this week in Shanghai, Huawei rolled out its FusionSphere 5.0 architecture for unifying compute, storage and networking in virtualized data centers. Key themes include scale-out performance, software-defined data center infrastructure and an increased focus on big data analytics.

At its foundation, Huawei's FusionSphere 5.0 leverages OpenStack to pursue an open model that it believes will be the basis for all IT.  In its plenary keynote, Huawei cited a number of new performance benchmarks for its cloud infrastructure:
  • Five-nines reliability thanks to redundancy and fault tolerance features
  • The ability to scale cloud storage resources into ultra-large pools reaching 20 peta-bytes (PB)
  • SDN controllers now able to scale to 100,000 network nodes through vSwitching
  • Huawei expects 100 billion devices, sensors, and network nodes online by 2025.
  • Huawei plans to invest US$1 billion in R&D to expand its professional services over next 3 years.
Looking beyond enterprises, Huawei is using the same principles for NFV and telco clouds.
Huawei also released its 2014 Global Connectivity Index (GCI), a barometer of ICT development in 25 nations. Germany came out in top place thanks to its broadband infrastructure and industrial automation progress.
http://www.huaweihcc.com/

(click to enlarge)


Huawei Picks SanDisk ULLtraDIMM SSD with 5 Microsecond Latency

Huawei Technologies will use SanDisk's new ULLtraDIMM SSD in its high-performance RH8100 V3 servers. Testing by Huawei demonstrated the ULLtraDIMM SSD achieved the industry’s lowest write latency at less than five microseconds and offered bandwidth that topped that of any other SSD solution. Adding flash-based storage to the DDR memory bus with direct connection to the processor allows Huawei to deliver a more powerful solution. Huawei will combine the ULLtraDIMM with its self-developed caching software in order to accelerate application performance with the lowest possible latency, while offering the scalability to handle bandwidth-intensive database and virtualization applications.

“The ULLtraDIMM SSD was designed to expand the reach of ultra-low latency flash storage throughout the data center and scale to meet the requirements of any enterprise application, no matter how bandwidth or capacity intensive,” said John Scaramuzzo, senior vice president and general manager, Enterprise Storage Solutions at SanDisk. “We are very excited to partner with Huawei to offer this innovative, ultra-low latency storage solution, which will accelerate the performance of its customers’ cloud, virtualization, OLTP, HPC and other applications, and help them experience the benefits of a flash-transformed data center.”

http://www.sandisk.com

Direct Send and Other New Services Covered by Wi-Fi Direct Certification

The Wi-Fi Alliance has expanded its "Wi-Fi Direct" certification program with optional features based on peer-to-peer connections.  Devices certified to support the new services can now “discover, connect and do” in a single step, and immediately implement interoperable services for several common tasks. Four services are now certified in the program:

  • Wi-Fi Direct Send - One or more devices quickly and easily can now send and receive content with minimal user interaction
  • Wi-Fi Direct Print - With a single command, print documents directly from a smartphone, tablet or PC
  • Wi-Fi Direct for DLNA - Devices supporting DLNA interoperability guidelines discover each other before connecting to stream content   
  • Miracast - Now, devices can implement the updated device and service discovery mechanisms of Wi-Fi Direct to enable screen mirroring and display in one step

 “Wi-Fi Direct already delivers device-to-device connectivity to billions of devices, and with these important additions in our certification program, we expect Wi-Fi Direct will become indispensable,” said Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance. “We are pleased to bring these services to vendors and to foster developer innovation with the new toolkit.”

The first products to support the new service enhancements, and which comprise the test suite for interoperability certification, include:

  • Google Nexus 10
  • Marvell Avastar 88W8797 802.11 a/b/g/n Reference Design
  • Mediatek MT6592+6625 Phone
  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 800 based Linux Android System with XSPAN™ 802.11n Connectivity
  • Realtek 2x2 11a/b/g/n/ac MiniCard
  • Seiko Epson 100-120v, 100w, WFDS PWG Raster Print Service Reference Design

http://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-direct

Ixia Returns to SEC Compliance, Bethany Mayer Comes Onboard

Ixia is now current in filing all required periodic financial reports with the SEC.  The company is welcoming Bethany Mayer as its new CEO.

Mayer brings over 25 years of technology experience to Ixia and joins the company from HP where she has held several key executive roles since 2010. Most recently, Mayer served as HP’s senior vice president and general manager of its Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) business and led the company’s NFV initiative. Previously, Mayer was senior vice president and general manager of the HP Networking Business unit, where under her leadership the business unit delivered 12 consecutive quarters of growth.

Ixia also reported second quarter 2014 revenue of $109.5 million, compared with $112.0 million reported for the 2013 second quarter and $113.7 million for the 2014 first quarter. The 2014 second quarter revenue includes $13.3 million in revenue from Net Optics, which was acquired in December 2013.

http://www.ixiacom.com

AT&T Launches Global SIM for M2M

AT&T Mobility will begin offering a Global SIM card that meets the GSMA specifications for multi-profile SIMs. This will help multi-national companies to connect, manage and support connected and M2M devices around the world.

Key features:

  • Global service management platform with advanced diagnostic tools, smart process automation, machine monitoring, and alert/response capabilities.
  • Global wireless M2M connectivity with access to hundreds of carriers worldwide.
  • Integrated compatibility with global networks.
  • Designed and built to the GSMA specification for remote provisioning.


“Our Global SIM enables the internet of things for companies that need to connect devices, machines, or cars with a single platform around the world,” said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, AT&T Emerging Devices. “We’re the first carrier to announce a global SIM designed to meet GSMA specifications, and we are leading the industry into the future of connected devices.”

hattp://www.att.com
http://www.gsma.com/connectedliving/embedded-sim/

Dimension Data Standardizes its Managed Services Globally

Dimension Data, the ICT solutions division of the NTT Group, is standardizing its Managed Services for Data Centres on a global basis.

Dimension Data manages server, storage and networks for on-premise, cloud and hybrid data centers using a state-of-the-art Managed Services Automation Platform.

The company said the launch of this suite of managed services is the next step in a set of strategic initiatives to expand the group’s capability to consistently support domestic and multinational clients’ data center transformation requirements.  The company aims to quadruple the size of its data center business to US$4 billion by 2018.

“We’re seeing a shift away from clients owning and managing their own data centre to outsourcing the entire infrastructure, or the
management of the environment. With Managed Services for Data Centres, clients maintain technology flexibility, while we automate
routine transactional and knowledge work across the network, server, and storage for on-premise and cloud environments," stated Steve Joubert, Dimension Data’s Group Executive for Data Centres.

http://www.dimensiondata.com/Global/Services/Managed-Services/Pages/Data-centres.aspx

BT's Statement on Upcoming Vote in Scotland

BT published an open letter regarding the upcoming independence referendum in Scotland.

The company reiterated its commitment to provide and invest in high-quality, affordable services to all customers in the UK. However, BT said a "yes" vote would raise several questions for its business:

  • How would a Scottish telecoms industry be regulated?
  • Would there be continuity with the current European Union regulatory framework, enabling BT to continue to operate across the border with common infrastructure under a single set of rules?
  • What approach would the government of an independent Scotland take to the radio spectrum - currently licensed on a UK-wide basis - without which mobile networks cannot operate? 


http://www.btplc.com/News/Articles/ShowArticle.cfm?ArticleID=4D448C2D-B127-4BE3-9EE0-8C8A60A7DFCB