Nortel Networks has announced a strategic relationship with IPivot Inc. to deliver a new line of server switches that increase the application reliability and service availability of heavily trafficked web sites for enterprises and service providers.
"Just nine months after the merger between Nortel Networks and Bay Networks, Nortel is delivering solutions which form part of Optivity, its common management platform," says Doug Batchelor, general manager of Nortel Networks South Africa. "We are now working at Internet speed to deliver Nortel`s Unified Networks solution."
The new Accelar 700 server switches are based on joint technology developments by Nortel Networks and IPivot. The new switches provide key features for creating Unified Networks solutions. This is achieved by delivering predictable performance and highly reliable, scalable access to Internet and Intranet applications and services (such as electronic commerce), through response time-based load balancing, and application and server awareness.
"Businesses are realising that a large portion of their income is reliant on the Web -- either for customer searches, purchases or vendor procurement -- so the need for extreme reliability becomes critical," Batchelor says. "The Accelar 700 server switches take advantage of IPivot`s industry-leading load-balancing technology to provide the reliability customers require and empower next-generation businesses to support Web-intensive applications."
Core technology for the server switches is based on the IPivot Intelligent Broker family of load balancing products. Nortel Networks` end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) and policy management capabilities will be integrated into the new server switches to further enhance reliability and predictability. The IPivot technology will also be integrated into future Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) developments and solutions from Nortel Networks.
According to Batchelor, both ISPs and enterprises will have a single source for their Unified Networks solutions, including end-to-end Quality of Service functionality and advanced features found in Nortel Networks` Accelar 700 server switches.
"These server switches provide the response-time-based load balancing and application-aware technology necessary for new electronic commerce applications," he comments.
One of the benefits of the new Accelar 700 server switches is that as response times from specific servers increase, new customer requests are automatically routed to different servers or servers at other sites. Since the server switches are application-aware, Web sites can provide premium access services by defining which applications receive priority delivery.
Unlike many existing load-balancing devices, the Nortel Networks server switches support industry-standard (RIP and OSPF) routing protocols to assure easy integration into existing networks and provide several layers of system redundancy.
In combination with the new Accelar 8000 enterprise switch platform and the industry-leading Accelar 1000 routing switch products, the new server switches provide superior capabilities for enterprises to unleash increasingly business-critical intranet applications, including Enterprise Resource Planning and corporate knowledge systems.
IPivot Inc. develops and manufactures a family of intelligent, high-performance load balancers that provide reliability, scalability and quality of service (QoS) for IP networks. It markets its products through a network of premier resellers, network integrators and OEMs. The company`s management team combines experience in the Internet, network and transaction processing markets.
Nortel Networks delivers value to customers around the world through Unified Networks solutions, spanning mission-critical telephony and IP-optimized networks. Customers include public and private enterprises and institutions; Internet service providers; local, long-distance, cellular and PCS communications companies; cable television carriers; and utilities.
Nortel Networks` common shares are listed on the New York, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and London stock exchanges. Nortel Networks had 1997 revenues of US$15.5-billion and Bay Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nortel Networks, had revenues of US$2.4-billion during its most recent fiscal year. The combined company`s workforce totals about 80 000 employees worldwide.
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