Networking specialist Ciena has introduced a set of wide-area networks (WAN) management software, which it claims will help carriers meet changing demands from high-bandwidth applications and services.
The Agility Multilayer WAN Controller, developed with Ericsson, integrates with OpenDaylight SDN controller to allow network operators to allocate network resources at the packet, circuit and wave layers, the company said.
The Agility controller, which works with four apps to handle different elements of network configuration, also claims to enhance interoperability with third parties’ hardware and software.
The other network applications include Navigate, which finds routes to determine the best connections, Protect, which is a back-up routes finder, Optimise and V-WAN.
Ciena’s SVP of products, Francois Locoh-Donou, said: "Our customers want an ecosystem – not an ego-system with one vendor in the centre trying to wrest control."
Eric Hanselman, chief analyst at 451 Research, added: "Demands for greater service agility and efficiency are driving network operators to look for ways to remove network cost and complexity.
"An open platform that virtualises network resources and provides software defined control, like Ciena’s Agility software portfolio, can provide operators with an extensible foundation on which to build revenue-generating on-demand cloud and network functions."
