Transforming Network Infrastructure Week in Review: CenturyLink, ECI, Extreme Networks
By There’s a lot of consolidation related to data centers these days. We’re seeing companies combine smaller data centers into larger ones and adopt hyperscale technologies. At the same time, we’re seeing data center suppliers come together to deliver more complete solutions and realize economies of scale.
For example, this week we learned that Extreme Networks is buying Brocade from Broadcom for $55 million. Brocade's data center networking business is expected to strengthen Extreme’s position in the high-end data center market and reinforce its position in delivering software-driven networking solutions focused on enterprise customers.
“Today's announcement, coupled with our recent announcements regarding our position as the stalking horse bidder of Avaya's networking business and the successful completion of the integration of Zebra's wireless LAN business, along with Extreme's organic investments in R&D, will result in a state-of-the-art, newly-refreshed portfolio of enterprise solutions for our customers,” said Extreme Networks President and CEO Ed Meyercord.
In other Transforming Networking Infrastructure coverage this week, Laura Stotler talks about the important advancements we’re seeing on the data center interconnect front. She notes new data that suggests the global DCI market is growing at a 10.8 compound annual growth rate, ranging from last year through 2022. And she says that DCI platform suppliers are introducing more automation, open networking, and programmable features.
Another of our pieces this week, this one by contributing writer Steve Anderson, details CenturyLink’s Central Office Re-architected as a Datacenter efforts.
“Our CORD deployment is a significant milestone on our path to achieve full network virtualization,” commented CenturyLink CTO Aamir Hussain. “This is a key component in our strategy to bring virtual network services to our customers while driving virtualization into our last-mile network, allowing us to quickly and efficiently deliver new technologies that meet our customers' rapidly changing needs.”
Also this week, I wrote about ECI’s Neptune demonstration in Paris. Neptune is the company’s packet solution family of products for service providers.
