Nuage Launches Network Automation Platform

nuage-networking-web

Nuage Networks, a cloud networking provider backed by Alcatel-Lucent, has launched its Virtualized Services Platform (VSP), a new software-defined networking platform that will allow companies to quickly scale their cloud operations.

The Nuage VSP solution automates all aspects of the data center network, creating secure "slices" for each customer, and scales to support large data centers with thousands of customers. The company says this will allow it to support public cloud, private cloud and hybrid cloud services for large enterprises, webscale companies or telecom service providers.

Nuage's VSP technology is based on software from Alcatel-Lucent’s Service Router Operating System (SR OS), and contains full programmability using a set of standardized APIs. As a software-only solution, VSP works with OpenStack, CloudStack and VMware cloud environments, and on any data center network switch. The company is based in Mountain View, Calif.

Nuage said its platform is being evaluated by a handful of global customers, including UK cloud service provider Exponential-e, Canadian telecom service provider TELUS and the  University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in the U.S.. Worldwide commercial availability is planned for mid-2013.

"SDN is one of the most exciting and promising new technologies in data center networking," said Sunil Khandekar, CEO of Nuage Networks. "At Nuage Networks, we’re focused on getting the network out of the way so that it no longer constrains the server and storage resources or the performance of cloud services. We do that by offering a platform that is technology and layer agnostic. As more companies move to a cloud service environment, we can help them automate their networks to deliver instant connectivity to their customers."

"With the Nuage Networks SDN solution, we hope to further our strategy of using smart technology to support patient-centered, accountable care,” said William Hanna, vice president of IT infrastructure at UPMC. “UPMC has been a leader in virtualizing our data centers to provide fast, reliable and flexible services to our clinicians and other customers in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape."

“It’s exciting to start my first day as CEO of Alcatel-Lucent with an announcement that expands our addressable market," said Michel Combes, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent. "Alcatel-Lucent’s SDN strategy and the Nuage Networks branded portfolio announced today builds on the cloud orchestration we already provide with our CloudBand Management System. We are very well positioned to help telecom and cloud service providers build large scale cloud infrastructure and services, opening up new revenue opportunities for our customers and ourselves.”