Data Center News: Ciena, Akamai, Level 3

Here’s some of this week’s noteworthy links for the data center industry:

Ciena selected to upgrade Tata submarine cable to 100G.  Ciena (CIEN) announced that Tata Communications is launching 100 gigabits per second-enabled services on its TGN-Atlantic (TGN-A) subsea cable system, from New York to London. Based on the Ciena 6500 Packet-Optical Platform the GeoMesh networking solution is being used by Tata to upgrade its TGN-A submarine cable to 100G - the first on its global submarine network. The upgrade will be instrumental in increasing carrier network performance through consolidation of transport traffic. The TGN IP Transit Network (AS6453) makes up 20 percent of the world’s Internet routes and carries 4,200 Petabits of traffic per month on its Internet backbone. Ciena's WaveLogic coherent receiver technology enables unobtrusive 40G/100G upgrades to existing submarine networks with only the addition of new terminal equipment, significantly extending the life of existing cable plants and further lengthening their lifespans into the future. “The move to 100G coherent technology on our TGN-Atlantic cable system demonstrates our leadership in global network infrastructure,” says Genius Wong, Senior Vice President of Global Network Services at Tata Communications. “Based on Ciena’s GeoMesh, this major deployment will bring maximum bandwidth, lower latencies, higher uptimes and seamless scalability for carriers and enterprises, today and in the future.”

MediaMath acquires Akamai's ADS Data Cooperative Solutions.  Digital media-buying platform company MediaMath and Akamai (AKAM) announced MediaMath's acquisition of Akamai's Advertising Decision Solutions (ADS) data cooperative which will augment MediaMath's industry-leading Data Management Platform (DMP). MediaMath will acquire substantially all of the assets associated with Akamai's ADS business, and will integrate the Akamai ADS team into its workforce. The two companies have also signed a multi-year relationship whereby MediaMath will have exclusive rights to leverage Akamai's pixel-free technology for use within digital advertising and marketing applications. "We're excited to partner with MediaMath," said Mike Afergan, Akamai's Senior Vice President & General Manager of the Web Experience Division. "Together, we'll be able to provide our joint customers with an even more effective set of tools to manage their data, understand their audience, and help enhance the quality of online marketing campaigns."

TMG Health selects Level 3.  Level 3 Communications (LVLT) announced that TMG Health is depending on Level 3's secure, redundant network solutions to better serve the needs of its clients and to improve the communications across its offices and data centers. In particular, Level 3 extended its network to the customer's new National Operations Center in Jessup, Pennsylvania, to support a recent business expansion.  "Level 3's network solution makes us an attractive provider for our clients, and enables us to prove to existing and prospective clients that they can entrust us with their sensitive healthcare information," said Chris Haran, chief information officer of TMG Health. "In addition, the fact that Level 3 owns and operates the entire network supporting our headquarters in Jessup -- and protects it with a multi-layered security portfolio -- allows us to reassure our customers that their sensitive data is secure. We couldn't have expanded our operations center there without Level 3's support."