PARIS, Nov. 27 – Alcatel-Lucent today announced that its CloudBand 'carrier cloud' management solution now supports an expanded array of popular open source cloud computing software as well as networking equipment from leading technology vendors.

Carrier cloud represents a new class of cloud services that enable communications service providers to bring the benefits of the cloud to their own networks and business operations while offering cloud services with the security, reliability and quality enterprises and consumers expect from telecommunications networks.

Until now, one key obstacle that limited the introduction of carrier cloud services was the lack of interoperability of cloud solutions with service providers' multi-vendor network environments. Because it is compatible with network equipment from other vendors, CloudBand eliminates that obstacle. CloudBand gives service providers the flexibility they need to introduce carrier cloud services while benefiting from their existing investments in network infrastructure.

Alcatel-Lucent has also adopted an open approach to integrating best-of-breed open source cloud computing software. Joining other leading communications and IT companies, Alcatel-Lucent supports the OpenStack Foundation which was co-founded by NASA and RackSpace and is dedicated to open cloud development throughout data centers, which are central to the delivery of all cloud services. This move complements Alcatel-Lucent's utilization of Apache CloudStack in the CloudBand Management System, and support of Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). CloudBand's unique, open approach gives service providers greater flexibility when selecting cloud platforms.

With CloudBand service providers can now remotely set up a networked CloudBand Node in just a few hours by accessing a pre-configured 'cloud in a box' solution. With this approach they can provide all the functionality of the public cloud wherever they choose in their network while offering the benefits of quality and security that come with the carrier cloud.

Dor Skuler, Vice President of Alcatel-Lucent Cloud Solutions, said: "Openness has been a key principle that we have embraced to ensure that our customers' cloud environments can be adapted and expanded as the customer demand evolves. We have delivered on this promise of openness with multi-vendor support at every point in the network and the cloud so our customers can enjoy flexibility in their investment decisions, choosing whichever vendor best meets a particular need."

About the CloudBand Management System and CloudBand Node

Introduced in November 2011, the Alcatel-Lucent CloudBand solution provides the foundation for carrier cloud services. The CloudBand Management System orchestrates and optimizes services between the communications network and the cloud, while the CloudBand Node provides the computing, storage and networking hardware and associated software to host a wide range of cloud services. The CloudBand Management System utilizes OpenStack to manage the provisioning and coordination of the hardware infrastructure within each CloudBand Node, and leverages Apache CloudStack to manage cloud and network resources in accordance with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and policies.

About Alcatel-Lucent

The long-trusted partner of service providers, enterprises and governments around the world, Alcatel-Lucent is a leading innovator in the field of networking and communications technology, products and services. The company is home to Bell Labs, one of the world's foremost research centers, responsible for breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and communications industry. Alcatel-Lucent was named one of MIT Technology Review's 2012 Top 50 list of the "World's Most Innovative Companies" for breakthroughs such as lightRadio, which cuts power consumption and operating costs on wireless networks while delivering lightning fast Internet access. Through such innovations, Alcatel-Lucent is making communications more sustainable, more affordable and more accessible as we pursue our mission - Realizing the Potential of a Connected World.

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Source: Alcatel-Lucent