Tag: ciena

Ciena launches new Ciena Partner Network

Posted on November 19, 2018 by - News

Networking systems outfit Ciena launched a new Ciena Partner Network (CPN), as it moves away from a “one-size fits all” model.

The CPN programme is designed to enable and reward all partner business models from a single platform and allows Ciena partners to access resources to deliver training and come up with joint business plans to react to changes in the market and better work with other reseller partners.

It helps partners to reduce time to market, drive incremental sales, expand technical expertise and deliver measurable outcomes, Ciena said.

Ciena’s Partner Academy certification program also offers the same comprehensive training as the firm’s staff, while the Solution Enable Toolkits (SETs) allow businesses to build specialised Data Center Interconnect (DCI) and Ethernet offerings based on Ciena products.

Sandra Glaser Cheek, vice president of Global Partners and Alliances at Ciena, said that the outfit’s new partner programme complements the adaptive Network approach to help Ciena clients and partners adapt to changing market conditions.

“By moving away from the traditional programme structure to a more collaborative, personalised and empowering approach, our CPN programme delivers unprecedented flexibility and customisation that harnesses the unique value of each partner.”

The Ciena Partner Network will include more than 200 specialised, industry partners, including Anycomm, CenturyLink, Comcast, Kapsch, LightRiver, Windstream and Zayo.

 

UK firms overloaded with old networking gear

Posted on September 28, 2017 by - News

QUETTA, PAKISTAN, NOV 14: A labor dangerously travels on his overloaded donkey-cart passes through a road which may cause of any serious accident needs the attention of concerned department in Quetta on Monday, November 14, 2011. (Arsalan Naseer/PPI Images).

Research from Ciena has discovered that a fifth of UK firms are still using hardware that is over three years old.

The research showed 27 percent of UK firms using WAN connections of up to five years old. The old kit is unlikely to meet current standards, deliver high-speeds or help those firms that are keen to unlock cost efficiencies across the organisation.

There were also signs that a number of users would invest in site-to-site fibre to make sure they could get better data speeds.

Ciena vice president and general manager Keri Gilder said: “As traffic volumes in both the data centre and in the office environment continue to surge, businesses are looking to extract maximum value from their infrastructure investments. As the study shows, investment in external WAN bandwidth and interconnects is critical, but if it’s being connected to legacy equipment, the potential benefits of better and fluid bandwidth won’t be realised.”

The Ciena research aimed to compare the situation in the UK with that in Germany and businesses here came up short when compared to their continental counterparts.

The mean average spent annually on data centre network infrastructure is £161,000 in the UK, with an additional £86,000 being spent on WAN and interconnects. In Germany, the average spent was €326,000 annually on data centre network infrastructure and €140,000 on WAN and other interconnects.

Ciena tweaks its channel

Posted on November 4, 2013 by - News, Products

CienaThe BizConnect programme from Ciena is being modified.

That’s the message from Nigel Williams, VP of global channels and strategic alliances.

He said in his blog that Ciena is now letting its solution provider partners offer its branded services directly to enterprise customers.

Ciena will provide support, training, lab equipment, evaluations, certifications, customer upsell and other services to its solution providers.

He said Ciena partners from regional VARs to global system integrators wanted to layer branded services combined with equipment sales, and that was the reason for the change.

European biz wants Network-as-a-Service

Posted on February 5, 2013 by - News

cloud 2Beancounters working for research outfit Ciena have discovered that European enterprises are falling over themselves to get to WAN connectivity.
Interest is particularly strong in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Dubbed the Vanson Bourne survey, the report indicates that corporates are most interested in a WAN connectivity model that adapts to peak and off-peak demands.

Four out of five enterprises describe themselves as very or somewhat interested in adopting Network-as-a-Service (NaaS). The report said that this reflects the increasing bandwidth requirements that enterprises face today as well as the need for a more cost-effective connectivity model.

More enterprises are considering a ‘Data Centre Without Walls’ model where they can pay for connectivity according to usage.

The survey was made up of senior IT decision makers in Western Europe. German companies were particularly keen on Network-as-a-Service as a way of reducing IT costs.

Almost half of interviewees in the finance and manufacturing sectors describe themselves as very interested in such a model, while the public sector seems more reluctant with only 14 percent seeing it as an option.

Dutch and French enterprises are the most receptive to a pay-per-use model for WAN connectivity, followed by the UK and Germany. A third of French and British enterprises are attracted to this model by lower cost while the Dutch like the fact it is very predictable.

The report also shows the extent of IT outsourcing. About two thirds of companies have outsourced IT services, and among those more than a third intend to outsource more.

Ian Harris, EMEA system integrators leader at Ciena said that with most enterprises outsourcing part of their IT services, the next step for enterprises will be to move part of their infrastructure requirements to the cloud.

He thinks that the Data Centre Without Walls idea will catch on because it allows enterprises to share resources while dealing with peak and off-peak demands.

The research backs up findings from Gartner’s IT Spending Report for 2013 that overall spending on IT infrastructure will surpass $3.7 trillion this year and $4 trillion by 2015.