Extreme Networks introduces Ridgeline Service Advisor to help service providers monetise their networks
SYDNEY, May 5, 2010 – Extreme Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXTR) today announced Ridgeline™ Service Advisor, service management software designed to help carriers monetise their networks by enabling the strategic shift from reactive circuit monitoring to proactive service management.
Extreme Networks® Ridgeline Service Advisor offers service providers a proactive approach to network operations that has the potential to accelerate revenue by accelerating the provisioning of new services, enhances subscriber experience through visual service monitoring, and increases network efficiency by simplifying service engineering.
"The success of network operators’ efforts to monetise their networks depends on their ability to exploit two things: agile service creation, and operations’ economies of scale,” said Tom Nolle, CEO of CIMI Corp. “Those are the foundation for the best top-line revenue and the best bottom-line costs. Managing both in a world of mixed IP and Ethernet services is complex, and it requires a new approach. Extreme Networks Ridgeline is a ground-breaking layer-independent service management system that can integrate new and highly tactical IP services with economical Ethernet infrastructure, and at the same time manage the Ethernet-based services that enterprises will use increasingly as they embrace cloud computing."
Ridgeline Service Advisor utilises the intellectual property acquired from Soapstone Networks with Extreme Networks EPICenter® to create powerful new service management software that leverages ExtremeXOS® to enable service fulfilment, service assurance and service engineering across the entire portfolio of fixed configuration Summit® series and the highly scalable BlackDiamond® series Ethernet Transport switches.
Ridgeline Service Advisor helps carriers to accelerate service provisioning while reducing provisioning errors by providing a graphical representation of the network, coupled with point-and-click provisioning. Ridgeline Service Advisor automates service provisioning by replacing the command line interface commonly used for provisioning services and replacing it with visual software that automatically translates menu-based commands and mouse-clicks to switch specific instructions for multiple network switches at the same time. Services such as residential triple play aggregation, MEF Certified Business Ethernet services, Ethernet mobile backhaul, and wholesale services can be provisioned faster and more accurately with Ridgeline Service Advisor.
Unlike other management systems that focus on monitoring link or port status, Ridgeline Service Advisor helps carriers to enhance their subscribers’ experience and reduce time to troubleshoot service outages by providing visual service monitoring that displays service status and the active path of the service through a unified, intuitive graphical interface.
Ridgeline Service Advisor helps carriers increase network efficiency by simplifying service and transport engineering with a visual representation of the network that provides an integrated view of services across the network as a whole rather than a series of configuration files on discrete switches. Ridgeline Service Advisor also automates the provisioning of Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS) for resilient Ethernet rings by providing point-and-click provisioning of resilient EAPS domains.
“Service providers understand that advanced service management software is a powerful way to help monetise their network and differentiation their offering,” said Mark Showalter, Senior Director of Service Provider Marketing and Business Development at Extreme Networks. “We are delighted to add Ridgeline Service Advisor to our portfolio of high-performance Ethernet Transport products that help carriers increase the longevity of their network, increase subscriber loyalty, and lower the long term cost of operating next-generation broadband networks.”
Pricing and Availability: Extreme Networks Ridgeline Service Advisor has a targeted release of the third quarter 2010 with a beginning list US price of $19,995 for 20 nodes.
Extreme Networks, Inc.
Extreme Networks provides converged Ethernet network infrastructures that support data, voice and video for enterprises and service providers. The company's network solutions feature high performance, high availability and scalable switching solutions that enable organisations to address real-world communications challenges and opportunities. Operating in more than 50 countries, Extreme Networks provides wired and wireless secure LANs, data centre infrastructure and service provider Ethernet transport solutions that are complemented by global, 24x7 service and support. For more information, visit: http://www.extremenetworks.com
Extreme Networks’ distributor in Australia is Distribution Central. In New Zealand, distributors are Distribution Central and Ericsson NZ.
For more information
Aaron Condon
Acting Manager, Australia and New Zealand, Extreme Networks
Phone: +61-2-8912 2401
Mobile: +61-410 537 006
Email: acondon@extremenetworks.com
David Frost
PR Deadlines Pty Ltd
Phone: +61-2-4341 50221 or +61 (0) 408 408 210
Email: davidf@prdeadlines.com.au


