view printer-friendly version

CIENA ANNOUNCES ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES TO FACILITATE PRODUCT INTEGRATION AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES

Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ: CIEN), a leading provider of intelligent optical networking systems and software, today announced that it has realigned its organizational resources to better deliver on key business strategies and to realize operational efficiencies. The realignment supports the Company’s focus on top-tier service providers worldwide and its aggressive steps to integrate its next-generation transport and switching product lines. Ciena continues to pursue its previously announced strategy of balancing sustained investment with prudent expense management.

Supporting these goals, Ciena has combined four product development organizations (Core Transport, Core Switching, Metro Transport and Metro Switching) into two streamlined teams, Core Networking and Metro Networking. By integrating the functionality of transport and switching features across core and metro networks respectively, Ciena is working to further improve the economics of service provider networks by combining multiple network elements into the next generation of highly intelligent, scalable, multi-function systems.

In addition, Ciena has created a new development team called LightWorks™ Solutions. Leveraging Ciena’s unique ability to deliver a complete next-generation network architecture, the LightWorks Solutions group will focus on intelligent tools and features spanning both metro and core networks to help carriers operate end-to-end networks with optimal efficiency and greatly reduced expense. This team combines Network Management, Network Design & Tools, Systems Engineering and Ciena’s Solutions Lab.

Under the seasoned leadership of Jesús León, Ciena’s new Chief Development Officer, the three new product development organizations will create operational efficiencies and drive next-generation product innovations to market faster. These teams will be managed by Beth Perry, senior vice president, Core Networking Group; Rusty Cumpston, senior vice president, Metro Networking Group; and Paul Mitalas, senior vice president, LightWorks Solutions Group.

Michael McCarthy continues to lead Ciena’s Worldwide Sales and Support as Senior Vice President. Under his leadership Ciena has made changes to its Worldwide Sales and Customer Support organization to ensure that the Company’s award-winning service levels are maintained as it increases its presence with the world’s largest service providers. Because Ciena recognizes the importance of world-class service and support for these target accounts, all customer-facing corporate service, quality and training functions have been consolidated in a new worldwide service structure led by Arthur Smith, senior vice president, Worldwide Customer Services and Support. This part of the sales and support organization will drive a holistic solutions-based service approach to Ciena’s customer support and will apply Ciena’s intelligent service tools to further reduce network operations costs.

“Recent contract wins from some of the world’s strongest service providers attest to the early success Ciena is seeing as a result of our increased focus on incumbent carriers. While we do not underestimate the challenges ahead of us, we believe that Ciena is increasingly well positioned at these strategic accounts, and we expect our ongoing efforts will yield additional positive results,” said Gary Smith, Ciena’s president and CEO. “The organizational changes announced today reflect Ciena’s continued commitment to strategic customer relationships by driving integrated, cost-saving solutions to market with greater speed and efficiency. This structure will enable us to make and implement decisions faster, to increase attention on customer needs, and to work more collaboratively across product teams.”

Smith continued: “Agility, focus and efficiency are some of the cultural characteristics that have propelled Ciena into its leadership position. Now more than ever, in a market that requires us to remain focused on the critical strategies for success, this streamlined organization gives us the framework to take advantage of our strategic assets – our complete portfolio of next-generation products, our customer credibility, our culture and our strong balance sheet – to be the clear, long-term winner in optical networking.”