| To: FJB who wrote (38) | 3/12/2015 11:28:04 AM | | From: FJB | | | | Telefonica, Cyan, and Partners Take an Important Step Forward for NFV at MWC 2015
By: Recep Ozdag
 In a recent blog I wrote about why OpenStack in and of itself is not a service orchestrator but a cloud management system (CMS) that abstracts out the complexity of a heterogeneous data center making it easier for administrators to run applications on fairly large scale compute resources. OpenStack and other CMSs such as VMware and CloudStack fall into the virtualized infrastructure manager (VIM) category of the ETSI Network Function Virtualization (NFV) framework. This framework is one of the methods for providing structure around a multi-component and multi-vendor approach to bringing modern day IT solutions to the carrier world.
However, OpenStack and other traditional CMSs lack Enhanced Platform Awareness (EPA), therefore, they can blindly deploy virtual machines and virtual network functions (VNFs) with regardless of the performance requirements or hardware capabilities of the server resulting in:
Inefficient use of compute resources
Not being able to achieve the carrier grade performance requirements
Carrier grade NFV, and the services that are deployed based on it, requires adherence to strict SLAs to ensure high-performance and availability. Why? Because NFV-enabled or enhanced services must provide better performance than the previous mode of operation to ensure adoption. The trick is that in order for VNFs to deliver on these carrier grade requirements they need to be properly deployed in the underlying infrastructure to leverage the latest hardware features such as hardware acceleration.
NFV Management and Orchestration (MANO) and the associated information models, describing both the infrastructure and VNF requirements, are key to achieving this goal effectively and in a cost efficient manner for the service provider. Together, in cooperation, the NFV orchestrator and the CMS work together to ensure high-performance, massively scalable NFV deployments.
To prove this use case, Telefonica, Cyan, and Red Hat worked on a concept called “Deterministic NFV”, which was announced back in May 2014. The goal: to develop an architecture that allows the deterministic placement of VNFs using an intelligent NFV orchestrator that can digest standard information models describing the underlying hardware infrastructure and VNF capabilities to deliver carrier grade services. The resulting Enhanced Platform Awareness capability allows Cyan’s Blue Planet NFV orchestration platform to intelligently deploy VNF workloads onto the underlying infrastructure, enabling the optimal performance and SLAs. This also unleashes the favourable total cost of ownership that NFV promises due to this more efficient use of the underlying infrastructure.
These infrastructure capabilities include features such as open source software libraries like DPDK (Data Plane Development Kit), VMDq, SR-IOV, PCIe pass through, NUMA awareness, CPU pining and others that have enabled standard high volume servers to deal efficiently with edge functions such as BNG, PE router and EPC workloads. The key to achieving the carrier grade performance is to correctly model the key attributes required by the VNFs and exposing this information as the deployment decision criteria in the NFV delivery stack, i,e., the NFV Orchestrator and the VIM. The availability of such NFV-ready orchestration components together with appropriate standardized descriptors, such as TOSCA, will be key to enable large-scale, high-performance NFV deployments.
This year, at Mobile World Congress 2015, Cyan, Telefonica, Intel, Brocade, and Red Hat have collaborated to show a complete ETSI-NFV end-to-end service deployment solution stack at Mobile World Congress 2015 that includes this intelligent placement. The figure below illustrates how all the components come together using the ETSI NFV framework.
As illustrated in the figure above, in this collaboration;
Cyan has provided the multi-vendor Blue Planet NFV OrchestratorIntel has provided COTS servers, NICs as well as the latest DPDKBrocade has provided an OpenFlow switch and the Vyatta vRouterTelefónica has provided their VIM as well as their TIDGEN traffic generatorRed Hat has provided RHEL7.0 and the KVM hypervisorThe demonstration provides two separate deployment environments for comparing an NFV-optimized and an un-optimized cloud-based deployment:
An NFV-ready compute, networking and storage infrastructure, with a Telefónica developed NFV ready VIM implementing the requisite Enhanced Platform Awareness (EPA) and a Cyan NFV-Orchestrator supporting advanced VNF deployment using enhanced NFV information models.A standard cloud infrastructure - vanilla cloud computing, with the same Telefónica VIM connected to the same Cyan NFV-Orchestrator but in this case not using the enhanced information modelThe results show the phenomenal benefits achievable utilizing NFV optimized components, appropriate information models and an intelligent NFV orchestrator. The service deployed in this demo shows up to a 100x improvement in throughput for a typical routing scenario with respect to the same scenario in a typical cloud deployment. Join us at the Intel booth #3D30 at Mobile World Congress, March 2-5 for a demonstration of this ground breaking technology. |
| | Cyan Inc., Software Defined Networking and Network Function | Stock Discussion ForumsShare | RecommendKeepReplyMark as Last Read |
|
| From: FJB | 5/4/2015 10:13:39 AM | | | | | | Cyan Announces Pending Acquisition by Ciena; Releases First Quarter 2015 Financial Results
Cyan Inc.3 hours ago
PETALUMA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Cyan Inc. ( CYNI), a leading provider of SDN, NFV, and packet-optical solutions for network operators, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Ciena ( CIEN) for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $400 million (or approximately $335 million net of cash). Cyan also announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2015.
Upon the closing of the transaction, Cyan shareholders will receive consideration equal to the value 0.224 shares of Ciena common stock (89% of which will be delivered in Ciena common stock and 11% will be delivered in cash based on the value of Ciena common stock at closing), as described more completely in the press release that is available on Ciena’s web site ( www.ciena.com). This exchange ratio represents approximately $4.75 per share of Cyan common stock, based on Ciena’s 20-day volume weighted average price as of May 1, 2015. Based on the closing price of Cyan’s stock of $3.65 on May 1, 2015, this reference price represents a premium of approximately 30%. Based on the structure of the transaction, Cyan’s outstanding warrants will be deemed to have been automatically exercised upon closing. In addition, Ciena will also assume Cyan’s outstanding equity awards.
“Since launching the first Z-Series packet-optical products in 2009, Cyan has introduced the world’s first integrated packet-optical platform, the world’s first deployment ready multi-vendor SDN controller and NFV orchestrator, and the world’s first disaggregated “bright box” optical system. Innovation is core to our business, and our innovation has always been focused on helping customers transform their networks. Joining forces with Ciena, another clear innovator in the networking space, will accelerate this transformation. Together, we will provide our customers with the technologies they demand for a software-controlled operational model, orchestrating services on top of a scalable network, with the ability to rapidly create revenue streams in the new virtualized, on-demand world. This combination enables greater monetization for network operators through more efficient utilization of network assets and faster time-to-market with differentiated and profitable services,” said Mark Floyd, chairman and chief executive officer, Cyan.
“After careful consideration and a comprehensive evaluation of strategic alternatives, our board of directors concluded that the opportunity to combine with Ciena represents the best possible outcome for shareholder value. The transaction has many strategic merits and the stock consideration allows shareholders to participate in potential future combination benefits. Our board of directors believes that being part of a larger, global platform enables the combined company to execute on Cyan's business more effectively and provides significant value to our customers and shareholders,” continued Floyd.
The Cyan board of directors has unanimously approved the transaction, which is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to Cyan stockholder approval and other customary closing conditions. Certain officers and directors and affiliated stockholders, including investment funds affiliated with certain directors, collectively holding over 40% of the outstanding shares of Cyan, have signed voting agreements committing to support the merger. Jefferies LLC is serving as financial advisor to Cyan. Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc. also provided financial advice to the Cyan board. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is serving as legal counsel to Cyan.
Cyan First Quarter 2015 Financial Results
Cyan also is announcing its results for the first quarter of 2015. Revenue for the first quarter of 2015 grew to $36.0 million, up 89 percent when compared with $19.0 million in the first quarter of 2014 and up 18 percent when compared with $30.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2014.
GAAP net loss for the first quarter was $52.9 million, or $1.11 per share, compared to a net loss of $17.8 million, or $0.38 per share, in the same period last year and a net loss of $15.0 million, or $0.32 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2014. The first quarter 2015 GAAP net loss includes a $41.3 million non-cash charge for the change in fair value of warrant and derivative liabilities associated with our convertible debt, which was primarily the result of a 60 percent increase in the company’s stock price during the quarter.
On a non-GAAP basis, Cyan's net loss for the first quarter was $6.8 million, or $0.14 per share. This compares to a non-GAAP net loss of $15.3 million, or $0.33 per share, in the same period last year and a non-GAAP net loss of $7.1 million, or $0.15 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2014. Both GAAP and non-GAAP net loss per share figures for the first quarter of 2015 are based on 47.8 million basic weighted average shares outstanding. |
| | Cyan Inc., Software Defined Networking and Network Function | Stock Discussion ForumsShare | RecommendKeepReplyMark as Last ReadRead Replies (1) |
|
| From: FJB | 5/4/2015 11:51:28 AM | | | | | | Ciena's Cyan Buy: It's All About the Software
Ciena’s bid to acquire Cyan pushes the packet-optical vendor deeper into the SDN/NFV software market, giving Ciena the keys to Cyan’s Blue Planet ecosystem just as that software platform is starting to gain real traction with service providers.
Announced this morning, the $400 million deal comes as traditional network hardware vendors like Ciena are looking to stake a claim in the SDN/NFV race. Cyan, one of the smaller players in the optical networking market, has pursued SDN/NFV orchestration for service provider networks more aggressively than most, and recently announced a long-awaited contract with CenturyLink for its Blue Planet orchestration software. (See Ciena to Acquire Cyan for $400M and Cyan's CenturyLink Win Built on Experience, Flexibility.)
Ciena Corp. (NYSE: CIEN) has long been a fan of the open networking model espoused by Cyan Inc. , as demonstrated by Ciena’s own OPn network architecture. Last year, Ciena augmented that commitment by announcing its Agility Matrix platform, focused on enabling virtual network functions at the enterprise edge. Adding Cyan’s Blue Planet will give Ciena a higher-level SDN play across service provider networks. (See and Ciena Amps Up Software Play, Attacks VNF 'Agility Gap'.)
“Unlike the router establishment, we are not threatened by virtualization and openness,” Ciena CEO Gary Smith said on a call announcing the acquisition. “The network must become a software platform more capable of driving on demand business models.”
However, the SDN/NFV migration is still in its Wild West days, a fact that may have proved to challenging for Cyan to overcome alone. It has created a broad ecosystem in support of its Blue Planet software, including some of the biggest names in networking, and had gotten the platform into labs and trial with many carriers. But, Cyan also has been under financial pressure as it has looked to turn those engagements into revenue. The company was forced to seek additional financing late last year to support ongoing operations. (See Cyan Seeks Funding in SDN Squeeze and Cyan to Net $46.6M in Notes Sale.)
“Putting that ecosystem in the hands of Ciena changes the game completely,” said Heavy Reading senior analyst Sterling Perrin. “They will be able to do more and drive standards better than a $100 million company, without question. This is a very good move for Cyan, which was bouncing into a ceiling as far as where it could go as a company.”
Ciena may prove cautious about expecting too much too soon from the acquisition. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter, and Ciena officials said they don’t expect significant revenue coming in from Cyan’s software this year. They described the deal as “a medium to long-term investment in a nascent software market.”
On the hardware side, there might be some overlap between platforms like Ciena’s 6500 and Cyan’s Z-Series that will need to be negotiated, but on the call Ciena officials didn’t have much to say yet about the integration project to come after the deal closes. |
| | Cyan Inc., Software Defined Networking and Network Function | Stock Discussion ForumsShare | RecommendKeepReplyMark as Last ReadRead Replies (1) |
|
| To: FJB who wrote (45) | 8/3/2015 9:18:37 PM | | From: nicewatch | | | | | The cyni deal turned out ok. It's interesting to compare the infn and cien charts. Cien is near multi year highs while infn is near all time highs. Obviously they have different growth and valuation profiles but if data center spending stays strong there is room for both to do well although infn really seems to be in sweet spot for now. |
| | Cyan Inc., Software Defined Networking and Network Function | Stock Discussion ForumsShare | RecommendKeepReplyMark as Last Read |
|
| From: sfnsie | 8/25/2015 8:22:44 AM | | | | | | | According to foxchart, with MACD rising and %K line on top of %D line, I expect to pick up momentum. |
| | Cyan Inc., Software Defined Networking and Network Function | Stock Discussion ForumsShare | RecommendKeepReplyMark as Last Read |
|
| |
