IHS Markit recently published its Annual Optical Network Hardware Vendor Scorecard report,  which evaluates the top optical network equipment vendors on IHS Markit criteria  using concrete data and metrics. These criteria include direct feedback from  buyers, vendor market share, market share momentum, financials, brand  recognition, reputation for innovation and other benchmarks.

According to IHS Markit, their approach is designed to  eliminate subjectivity and ensures vendors are assessed accurately and fairly.

The 10 vendors profiled in this year’s Scorecard were  selected because they are the top revenue producers for optical network  equipment. Each company was scored on two categories: Market Presence and Market  Momentum. The companies are then classified as Leader, Established or Challenger,  depending on their overall score.

With the #1 ranking in  market momentum and as the #2 vendor in market presence, Ciena secures the  highest combined score overall in 2017 and once again lands securely in the Leader  category (see chart below for more details).  We’ve worked with IHS Market  to offer a free  excerpt of the report,  which includes a detailed scorecard analysis and explains the scoring  methodology.

According to IHS Markit,  Ciena’s strong result in the market momentum dimension was derived from  continuing investment in core technology and in portfolio enhancements and  expansion. As a result, customers continue to perceive Ciena as the top company  in technological innovation.

In addition, the report  shows that Ciena delivered above-average market share gains in 2017, with a  portfolio sales mix weighted toward growth areas that include packet-optical,  DCI and 100G+ port shipments.

On market presence,  Ciena was the second-largest provider of optical equipment in 2017 with 14% market  share, and received high scores in two related areas of IHS Markit’s 2017  customer perception study: service and support and product reliability.

Want to see more of the  survey results? Click here for a free excerpt of the full report.