CIENA EXPANDS ITS ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION TO INCLUDE ISO 9000-3 GUIDELINES FOR QUALITY IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Certification Represents Increasing Importance of Software Development In Emerging Intelligent Optical Networks
Linthicum, MD — 02/09/2000Ciena Corporation (CIEN) today announced it has expanded its International Standards Organization (ISO) 9001 certification to include 9000-3 guidelines for quality in software development. This expansion of Ciena's ISO certification underscores the continued significance of software in Ciena's intelligent optical networking solutions.
The Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI) Inc., a third party certification service, recommended the expansion of Ciena's ISO 9001 certification after completing an extensive audit.
"As we continue to transition network operators from static, legacy systems to networks that deliver dynamic new optical services through network intelligence, software quality increasingly is critical to Ciena's offerings," said Arthur Smith, Ciena's vice president of quality and reliability. "Ciena has demonstrated strong leadership in software for intelligent networking. Expanding our certification to include 9000-3 guidelines ensures our customers of our compliance with software development requirements, and reinforces Ciena's commitment to delivering the highest quality products available."
The ISO 9000-3 guidelines are based on the "Quality System Generic Requirements for Software."
"Achieving the highest standards in quality is a long standing commitment for Ciena," said Pat Nettles, president and CEO of Ciena. "This latest certification in the ISO 9000 series is a validation of our efforts and an accomplishment we are proud to share with our customers."
Software-based service enablers are a key element in Ciena's recently unveiled LightWorks Toolkit™ for New Optical Services, which also leverages intellectual property in silicon and optics. The LightWorks Toolkit gives network operators the technologies to build and deliver dynamic optical services that differentiate their offerings in the marketplace - services like bandwidth on demand and customized data rates beyond the traditional SONET/SDH-restricted speeds.
Ciena's market-leading intelligent optical networking solutions form the core for the new era of networks and services worldwide. Ciena's LightWorks™ architecture enables next-generation optical services and changes the fundamental economics of service-provider networks by simplifying the network and reducing the cost to operate it. Additional information about Ciena can be found at http://www.ciena.com.
Forward-looking statements in this release, including, but not limited to the capacity, cost, deployment and network management benefits of the Company's products, including the LightWorks Toolkit, are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in such forward-looking statements, due to risks and uncertainties associated with the Company's business, which include the risk factors disclosed in the Company's Report on Form 10K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 10, 1999.
Nicole Anderson
Ciena Corporation
(877) 857 -7377
pr@ciena.com
Marie Downing
Ciena Corporation
(888) 243-6223
ir@ciena.com
