Focused on Testing and Demonstrating SDN Applications for Real-world Deployment in Production Networks, Blue Orbit Reduces Operator Risk, Accelerates SDN Benefits
June 12, 2013
Cyan (NYSE: CYNI) today unveiled Blue Orbit, an ecosystem of software and hardware solutions focused on proving real-world, multi-vendor software-defined network (SDN) applications. With interest in SDN and network functions virtualization (NFV) gaining momentum globally, network operators of all types are seeking the means to move beyond slideware and begin deploying production SDN infrastructure and applications. Blue Orbit, by testing and demonstrating interoperability among SDN solutions from an array of partners, lessens the risk network operators would otherwise face and accelerates the deployability of production SDN infrastructure.
According to Cyan president Michael Hatfield, “SDN and NFV holds great promise for network operators, whether they’re carriers, data center operators, or even large enterprises. However, we’re at a critical juncture in the development of SDN—unless suppliers step forward and undertake the interoperability testing necessary for smooth SDN rollouts, the promise of SDN may fail to materialize. Blue Orbit fulfills this requirement. Our ability as an ecosystem to prove real, multi-vendor SDN today has already resulted in multiple commitments by customers to deploy this technology.”
The initial partners in Blue Orbit are:
- Accedian Networks— Accedian Networks is the leader in Performance Assured Networking™ for mobile backhaul, business services and cloud connectivity.
- Arista Networks— Arista Networks was founded to deliver SDN solutions for large data center and computing environments. The company provides a portfolio of 1/10/40 and 100GbE products.
- Boundary—Boundary provides understanding of application and infrastructure behavior for modern IT operations management with 100% coverage for any application stack. Streaming analytics enable per-second visibility into application traffic and topology that is combined with enriched 3rd party events in a centralized dashboard.
- Canonical— Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu the reference operating system for OpenStack, provides a range of products and services to speed Cloud deployment, management and support.
- Cyan— Cyan enables network transformation; the company’s SDN solutions deliver orchestration, visualization, and scale to networks, that until now, have been static and hardware driven.
- Embrane— Embrane delivers software-defined network services such as firewalls, VPNs and load balancers to data centers where network agility and automation are priorities, including private/public/hybrid cloud environments.
- Overture Networks— Overture Networks delivers Carrier Ethernet Access Devices for the metro edge that enable performance-assured Ethernet services over any media including fiber, copper and TDM.
- RYU— Part of NTT Laboratories Open Source Software Computing Group, Ryu provides OpenFlow controllers, which fully support OpenFlow 1.0, 1.2, 1.3 and Nicira extensions.
Dr. Jim Metzler, founder and vice president at Ashton, Metzler and Associates as well as frequent contributor to industry-leading networking publications, added that, “This is a necessary undertaking if the benefits of SDN—namely faster new service creation and greater service profitability—are to be realized. Virtually all significant new technologies require vendors to work together in order to ensure multi-vendor networks can be easily deployed. Cyan’s Blue Orbit is the first such effort within the SDN community.”
Blue Orbit partners provide applicable solution elements to Cyan’s California-based Blue Orbit Lab. From this facility, Cyan, Blue Orbit partners, and customers are able to test and demonstrate the deployability of SDN solutions in production networks.
Why This Matters for Network Operators
Network operators of all types have had two options when contemplating the deployment of SDN infrastructure: (1) undertake exhaustive testing themselves in order to ensure the interoperability of selected SDN components, or, (2) rely on a single vendor for all SDN components, locking themselves into that vendors interpretation of SDN standards. Blue Orbit allows network operators to pick and choose among multiple partners, a best-of-breed approach, while enjoying the assurance they could otherwise only obtain through single vendor lock-in.
About Cyan
Cyan enables network transformation. The company’s software-defined network (SDN) solutions deliver orchestration, visualization, and scale to networks, that until now, have been static and hardware driven. Serving carriers, enterprises, governments, and data centers globally, Cyan’s open platforms provide multi-vendor control and visibility to network operators, making service delivery more efficient and profitable. Cyan solutions include Blue Planet SDN software and Z-Series packet-optical transport platforms. For more information, please visit www.cyaninc.com or follow Cyan on Twitter at twitter.com/CyanNews.
Media Contacts
Joe Cumello
+1 410.227.7487 | joe.cumello@cyaninc.com | Twitter: @CyanNews
Merritt Group for Cyan
Melissa Chadwick
+1 571.382.8513 | chadwick@merrittgrp.com
PR Archives: Latest, By Company, By Date