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CIENA PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE OPTICAL NETWORK AND SERVICE MANAGEMENT WITH LIGHTWORKS ON-CENTER

CIENA's New Family of Software-Based Management Tools Includes End-to-End Optical Service Provisioning, Cross-Vendor Solution for Next-Generation Services, And End-User Web Interfaces for Real-Time Performance Monitoring ON-Center

Ciena Corporation (CIEN) today announced the launch of its LightWorks ON-Center™ Management Suite, a new fully integrated family of software-based tools for comprehensive element, network and service layer management across service provider networks. ON-Center is designed to enable accelerated deployment of new, differentiating optical services, reduced network operating and management costs, and innovative customer service solutions.

Designed for service providers to select any or all components to meet their management needs, LightWorks ON-Center is comprised of an Optical Service Layer Management System for cross-vendor end-to-end service management, an Optical Network Management System for integrated management across all of Ciena's intelligent optical transport, switching and access systems, and a Modeling and Planning System for network design - all delivered as a single platform.

"Ciena understands that service providers can differentiate themselves through the service-monitoring and control capabilities they offer their customers," said Andrew McCormick, Senior Analyst at Aberdeen Group. "ON-Center extends the carrier's ability to deliver optical services in real-time as well as offers service providers a means to measure, assess and control the quality of those services. Building on its LightWorks Toolkit and intelligent transport and optical switching gear, Ciena is offering end-to-end service provisioning, monitoring and management across elements, networks and services."

The ON-Center management suite is designed to help service providers use the built-in networking intelligence of Ciena's LightWorks™ OS and network architecture to enable real-time service deployment, dynamic service level agreement (SLA) management, multi-vendor optical service monitoring, full FCAPS (Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance and Security) management across Ciena systems, and Web-based customer service awareness tools.

"ON-Center will enable service providers to take advantage of the distributed intelligence that Ciena embeds within the optical networking layer. This will allow service providers to deliver new innovative services and improved customer care, shifting their marketing focus from price points to value delivery," said Patrick Nettles, Ciena's President and CEO. "We continue to see more marketing executives taking active roles in the service providers' network decision making process. They recognize the value in fast design, deployment and management of new services, and that Ciena is helping to provide those marketing advantages."

Optical Network Management System

ON-Center's Optical Network Management System is designed to provide integrated element and network management capabilities across all Ciena equipment. Network element management modules within the Optical Network Management System may be selected for any of Ciena's products, including the MultiWave CoreStream™, MultiWave Metro™, MultiWave CoreDirector™ and MultiWave EdgeDirector™ product families. These modules provide detailed diagnostics and full FCAPS management for the network of elements across the optical layer. A network-wide management module also will be available for integrated higher-level management functions across the intelligent optical network.

Optical Service Layer Management System

Based on service providers' need to offer customers tools for assessing the quality of their optical services, the Optical Service Layer Management System will provide functionality for dynamic end-to-end provisioning, monitoring and service assurance per circuit throughout the optical network. In addition, the cross-vendor platform is designed to extend service management functions across non-Ciena equipment. The system also will include a Web-based tool that service providers can market to customers, enabling real-time access to data regarding service availability, performance and service level agreements.

Modeling and Planning System

LightWorks ON-Center also includes a Modeling and Planning System to assist network planners for faster design of multi-wavelength network spans, prioritization, protection and restoration for new services across the optical network. In addition, the Modeling and Planning System is designed to perform capacity planning, failure analysis and forecasting for optimal network designs.

"With LightWorks ON-Center, Ciena will be providing more than a management system," Nettles said. "We'll be delivering an integrated, tiered architecture for the full lifecycle of service and network development, from the planning process through installation, monitoring and service assurance. ON-Center will provide a single management platform that maximizes the flexibility of the intelligent network. With this management system, our customers will be able to control the growing cost of operating and managing optical networks while delivering the real-time services and support that their customers demand."

The initial release of ON-Center is expected to be available by the end of calendar 2000. Ciena will showcase LightWorks ON-Center at SuperComm 2000 in Atlanta (booth #5653).