Ciena Corporation is a network strategy and technology company, providing solutions that enable network operators to adopt next-generation communication architectures and deliver a broad array of services needed by enterprise and consumers. They provide equipment, software and services that support the transport, switching, aggregation, service delivery and management of voice, video and data traffic on communications networks.
The Company's high-capacity hardware and network management and control software enable open, multi-vendor, programmable networks that improve automation, reduce network complexity and flexibly support changing service requirements. Their solutions yield business and operational value for customers by enabling them to support new applications, introduce new revenue-generating services and reduce network complexity and expense.
The Company's Converged Packet Optical, Packet Networking and Optical Transport products are used by a diverse set of customers and market segments including communications service providers, cable and multiservice operators, Web-scale providers, submarine network operators, governments, enterprises, research and education (R&E) institutions, and other emerging network operators. These products allow network operators to scale capacity, increase transmission speeds, allocate traffic and adapt dynamically to changing end-user service demands.
In addition to their portfolio of high-capacity hardware platforms, Ciena offers network management and control software platforms designed to simplify the creation, automation and delivery of services across multi-vendor and multi-domain network environments. Their software solutions are oriented around their modular Blue Planet software platform for multi-domain service orchestration, network function virtualization, and network management and control. To complement the hardware and software solutions, they offer a broad range of transformation and automation services that help customers design, optimize, integrate, deploy, manage and maintain networks.
The Company's high-capacity hardware and network management and control software enable open, multi-vendor, programmable networks that improve automation, reduce network complexity and flexibly support changing service requirements. Their solutions yield business and operational value for customers by enabling them to support new applications, introduce new revenue-generating services and reduce network complexity and expense.
The Company's Converged Packet Optical, Packet Networking and Optical Transport products are used by a diverse set of customers and market segments including communications service providers, cable and multiservice operators, Web-scale providers, submarine network operators, governments, enterprises, research and education (R&E) institutions, and other emerging network operators. These products allow network operators to scale capacity, increase transmission speeds, allocate traffic and adapt dynamically to changing end-user service demands.
In addition to their portfolio of high-capacity hardware platforms, Ciena offers network management and control software platforms designed to simplify the creation, automation and delivery of services across multi-vendor and multi-domain network environments. Their software solutions are oriented around their modular Blue Planet software platform for multi-domain service orchestration, network function virtualization, and network management and control. To complement the hardware and software solutions, they offer a broad range of transformation and automation services that help customers design, optimize, integrate, deploy, manage and maintain networks.
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Ciena Corporation provides equipment, software, and services that support the transport, switching, aggregation, service delivery, and management of voice, video, and data traffic on communications networks worldwide. The company's Networking Platforms segment offers hardware networking solutions optimized for the convergence of coherent optical transport, optical transport network switching, and packet switching. Its products include 6500 Packet-Optical Platform and the 5430 Reconfigurable Switching System, Waveserver stackable interconnect system, CoreDirector Multiservice Optical Switches, and OTN configuration for the 5410 Reconfigurable Switching System, as well as Z-Series Packet-Optical Platform; 3000 family of service delivery switches and service aggregation switches, and the 5000 family of service aggregation switches, as well as 8700 Packetwave Platform and the Ethernet packet configuration for the 5410 Service Aggregation Switch; and 4200 Advanced Services Platform, Corestream 5100/5200 Advanced Services Platform, Common Photonic Layer, and 6100 Multiservice Optical Platform. This segment also sells operating system software and enhanced software features embedded in each of these products. The company's Software and Software-Related Services segment offers network management solutions, including the OneControl Unified Management System, ON-Center Network & Service Management Suite, Ethernet Services Manager, Optical Suite Release, and Planet Operate; and Blue Planet network virtualization, service orchestration, and network management software platform, as well as related installation, support, and consulting services. Its Global Services segment provides consulting and network design, installation and deployment, maintenance support, and training services. The company sells its products through direct and indirect sales channels to network operators. Ciena Corporation was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Hanover, Maryland.
(Summary) (Company) (Chart)
| 23 April 2017 Price $21.77 1yr Target $28.72 Analysts 19 Dividend $0.00 Payout Ratio 0.00% 1yr Cap Gain 31.92% Yield --- 1yr Tot Return 31.92% P/E 39.80 PEG 2.42 Beta 1.69 | EPS (ttm) $0.55 EPS next yr $1.99 Forward P/E 10.92 EPS next 5yr 16.45% 1yr Price Support $32.73 Market Cap $3.08 Bil Revenues $2.65 Bil Earnings $88.00 Mil Profit Margin 3.32% Quick Ratio 2.00 Current Ratio 2.40 Debt/Equity 1.62 | 1yr RevGR 6.33% 3yr RevGR 7.60% 5yr RevGR 8.35% 1yr EarnGR 410.00% 3yr EarnGR --- 5yr EarnGR --- 1yr DivGR --- 3yr DivGR --- 5yr DivGR --- ROA 3.00% ROE 11.90% |
Network Traffic Growth is Growing Exponentially
The markets where Ciena sells their communications networking solutions have been subject to significant changes in recent years. In particular, optical networks — which carry voice, video and data traffic using multiple wavelengths of light across fiber optic cables — have experienced a multi-year period of strong traffic growth. This growth in network traffic, and the resulting requirements for increased network capacity, is being driven by the rapid proliferation and increased reliance upon a diverse set of communications services and applications. These services and applications, including those set forth below, have fundamentally affected and are redefining the bandwidth and service demands placed upon networks, and are challenging the business models of network operators.
The markets where Ciena sells their communications networking solutions have been subject to significant changes in recent years. In particular, optical networks — which carry voice, video and data traffic using multiple wavelengths of light across fiber optic cables — have experienced a multi-year period of strong traffic growth. This growth in network traffic, and the resulting requirements for increased network capacity, is being driven by the rapid proliferation and increased reliance upon a diverse set of communications services and applications. These services and applications, including those set forth below, have fundamentally affected and are redefining the bandwidth and service demands placed upon networks, and are challenging the business models of network operators.
- Cloud-Based Services. Enterprises and consumers are continuing to adopt a broad array of innovative cloud-based service offerings that host key applications, store data, enable the viewing and downloading of content, and utilize on-demand computing resources. Through cloud-based service models such as Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), smaller enterprises and consumers can subscribe to an expanding range of services to replace locally-housed computing and storage requirements. Larger enterprises and data center operators can use private clouds to consolidate their own resources and public clouds to accommodate peak demand situations, sometimes in combination. Today, infrastructures exist to allocate centralized network storage and computing resources dynamically from the cloud to end users. As a result, networks must be capable of adapting in real time to changing demands, capacity requirements and locations.
- Over-the-Top (OTT) Services and Video Streaming. OTT content refers to video, multimedia and other applications provided directly from the content provider to the viewer or end user. Traffic from streaming and OTT services, including high definition and ultra-high definition video, has expanded with the increased availability of and end user demand for video content accessible through a variety of devices and media. The growth in bandwidth-intensive traffic associated with streaming and OTT content, and the required quality of experience for such services, are imposing significant demands upon the infrastructures of communications service providers and multi-service operators.
- On-Demand Services. Users of communications services are increasingly requiring an on-demand service level that allows them to be connected to content and bandwidth wherever they desire. Businesses rely upon enterprise services and data center connectivity that facilitate global operations, employee mobility and access to critical business applications and data. Consumers expect broadband technologies, including peer-to-peer internet applications, augmented reality applications and multimedia streaming and downloads, to be available on-demand. The on-demand nature of an application-centric, cloud-driven world is changing user bandwidth consumption patterns, leading to less predictable traffic patterns and usage.
- Mobile Devices and Applications. Traffic from mobile applications, including internet, video and data services, has expanded with the proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other wireless devices. Because wireless traffic ultimately travels over a wireline network in order to reach its destination, growth in mobile communications continues to place demands upon wireline networks, including backhaul and fronthaul networks emanating from cell sites.
- Internet of Things. As the number of networked connections between devices and servers grows, machine-to-machine-related traffic (M2M) is expected to represent an increasing portion of traffic in what some refer to as the “Internet of Things” (IoT). These connections can provide value-added services and allow sharing of data that can be monitored and analyzed. We expect network traffic relating to the interconnection of devices to grow as internet and cloud-based content delivery, smartgrid applications, health care and safety monitoring, resource and inventory management, home entertainment, consumer appliances, connected transportation, and other M2M data applications become more widely adopted.
- Fifth-Generation Wireless Broadband Technology (5G). Wireless network operators will be required to deliver greater capacity and to adopt next- generation mobile network standards in order to cost-effectively accommodate increased bandwidth and service demands. 5G is expected to enable significant increases in data consumption by a growing number of users and devices, thereby better supporting IoT and other emerging applications. 5G mobile networks will significantly affect both wireless and wireline networks, requiring improvements in mobile backhaul and access networks.
- Ultra-High Definition TV and Virtual and Augmented Reality. Ultra-high definition TV and the advent of immersive technologies like 360° video, virtual reality, and augmented reality are likely to place meaningful capacity and capability demands on networks as adoption of these technologies grows. The television, internet and consumer electronics industries are rapidly advancing these innovations and making them more widely available and affordable to consumers. As these services become more prevalent and are connected over networks, network operators will need to accommodate resulting additional bandwidth requirements.
We believe that increased traffic from these services and applications, along with the desire to provide content and service delivery closer to the end user for an improved quality of experience, will require network operators to adopt higher capacity networks with increased transmission speeds, particularly in regional and metropolitan networks.
The Network is Transitioning to an Open, Programmable Network
The dynamics discussed above along with efforts to reduce costs and promote flexibility are causing customers to evaluate and adopt next-generation infrastructures that are more open, programmable and automated. Network operators are increasingly leveraging information technology strategies that emphasize software capability, virtualization and standardized network solutions where possible. By leveraging software programmability, network operators can adapt more quickly to changing end-user demands, provide network functions virtually and on demand, and more efficiently deliver a wider range of revenue-generating services. It is expected that network operators will increasingly look to adopt networking strategies that enable more open and programmable networks, including one or more of the following:
- Software-Defined Networking (SDN). Network resources have been traditionally managed on an individual network element basis. SDN seeks to separate or abstract that control from individual elements, enabling them to be directly programmable by standards-based software control. The result of this enhanced programmability provides end-to-end visibility of network flows, enabling the ability to optimize traffic paths and control data flows through a network. SDN seeks to simplify networks, which creates more open environments that ease management, support automation, and more quickly deliver customized services to end users.
- Network Function Virtualization (NFV). Virtualization is the decoupling of physical IT or communications assets from the services or capabilities they can provide. These virtualization principles — previously applied to computing and storage resources — are now being applied to communications networks. Through NFV, network operators can eliminate costly, single-function or dedicated network appliances, such as firewalls and wide area network (WAN) accelerators, enabling their functions via software and general computing hardware and servers. We believe that NFV can decrease power and space requirements, reduce cost, and improve network flexibility and agility.
- Orchestration and Evolution of Operations Support Systems and Business Support Systems (OSS/BSS). Historically, many network operators have relied upon OSS/BSS systems to support network management functions such as inventory, service provisioning, network configuration and fault management. These platforms are often complicated, inflexible, proprietary environments that struggle to keep pace with the change required to meet today’s network demands. We believe that network virtualization and operational transformation may be better achieved through an orchestration and control platform that is open, extensible, and vendor-agnostic as to the equipment and software it controls. Because orchestration simplifies the end-to-end creation, automation and deployment of services across multiple physical and virtual domains, we believe it presents an opportunity to reduce network complexity and may provide an alternative to elements of traditional OSS/BSS systems.
Network Platforms
The Company's networking platforms segment consists of the Converged Packet Optical, Packet Networking and Optical Transport product portfolios.
Converged Packet Optical. The Company's Converged Packet Optical portfolio includes a range of hardware networking solutions optimized for the convergence of coherent optical transport, optical transport network (OTN) switching and packet switching.
Using coherent optical transport technology, the Company's 6500 Packet-Optical Platform provides a flexible and scalable dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) solution that adds capacity to core, regional, metro, and submarine networks and enables efficient transport at high transmission speeds. Their 6500 Packet-Optical Platform provides leading 10G, 40G, and 100G coherent and control plane capabilities for scale and service differentiation, and it utilizes hybrid OTN and packet switching technologies for efficient use of network resources, minimizing amplifiers, regenerators and dispersion compensation devices. Their 6500 Packet-Optical Platform also includes certain integrated switching elements, addressing market demand for converged network features, functions and layers to drive more robust and cost-effective network infrastructures. This platform, which includes several chassis sizes and a comprehensive set of line cards optimized for individual services or applications, can be used throughout the network, from customer premises to metropolitan networks, to the regional core, where the need for high capacity and carrier-class performance is essential.
The Waveserver product is a stackable data center interconnect (DCI) platform that allows network operators, including Web-scale providers and data center operators, to scale bandwidth quickly and to support high-speed data transfer, virtual machine migration and disaster recovery/backup between data centers. Waveserver is a specialized platform, purpose-built for connecting data centers within a single metro area. It combines our leading coherent chipset with an operations model optimized for the capacity, speed, space and power requirements of data center environments. Waveserver is designed to leverage the data server user experience, with open application programming interfaces (APIs) and server-like deployment, provisioning and programmability via smart devices.
The Converged Packet Optical portfolio also includes products that provide packet switching capability to allocate network capacity efficiently and to enable rapid service delivery. Their 5430 Reconfigurable Switching System includes a family of multi-terabit reconfigurable switching systems that utilize intelligent mesh networking to provide resiliency, and it features an integrated optical control plane to automate the provisioning and bandwidth control of high-capacity services. Their CoreDirector® Multiservice Optical Switch and 5430 Reconfigurable Switching System offer multiservice, multi-protocol switching systems that consolidate the functionality of an add/drop multiplexer, digital cross-connect and packet switch into a single, high-capacity intelligent switching system. These products address both core and metro segments of communications networks and support key managed services, including Ethernet/TDM Private Line and IP services.
The Converged Packet Optical solutions also include a family of Z-Series high-capacity, multi-layer switching and transport platforms acquired from Cyan. Their Z-Series family is used in regional and metro networks and it is designed to support a variety of use cases including increasing capacity for optical transport, traffic aggregation at the network edge and switching optimized for handoff at the network core.
Packet Networking. The Company's Packet Networking products allow customers to simplify the deployment and delivery of new, revenue-generating services to consumer and enterprise end users. These products have applications from the edge of metro and core networks, where they aggregate traffic, to the access tiers of networks where they can be deployed to support wireless backhaul infrastructures and to deliver business data services. Their Packet Networking products facilitate network simplicity and cost effectiveness, including reduced costs associated with power and space, as compared to traditional IP routing network designs.
The Packet Networking portfolio includes the 8700 Packetwave platform, a multi-terabit packet switching platform for high-density metro networks and inter-data center wide area networks. The 8700 combines high-capacity Ethernet switching and optical transport technologies for both data center networks and metro networks, to help network operators rapidly deliver cloud-based services, streaming video, and internet content distribution, efficiently aggregate users, and provide express connections to data centers. By increasing the traffic density while reducing power and space requirements, the 8700 also enables network operators to reduce capital and operating expense associated with their networks and to simplify service management and enablement.
To date, revenue from the Packet Networking segment has been primarily related to the 3000 family of service delivery switches and service aggregation switches, and our 5000 family of service aggregation switches. The 3000 and 5000 families support the access and aggregation tiers of communications networks and have principally been deployed to support business data services and wireless backhaul infrastructures. Their 3000 family of service delivery switches are purpose-built to fit small, medium, and large customer sites as well as multi-tenant office and residential buildings. Their 5000 family of service aggregation switches provide aggregation to fill higher capacity links efficiently within both the metro access and aggregation tiers of networks, minimizing the number of router assets required in the core.
Optical Transport. The Company's Optical Transport products include stand-alone WDM and SONET/SDH-based optical transport solutions that add capacity to core, regional, metro, and submarine networks and enable cost-effective and efficient transport of voice, video and data traffic at high transmission speeds. The products in this segment principally include the 4200 Advanced Services Platform, Corestream® Agility Optical Transport System, 5100/5200 Advanced Services Platform, Common Photonic Layer (CPL) and 6100 Multiservice Optical Platform. The Optical Transport portfolio includes our traditional SONET/SDH transport and data networking products, as well as certain enterprise-oriented transport solutions that support storage and LAN extension, interconnection of data centers, and virtual private networks. The Optical Transport products have either been previously discontinued, or are expected to be discontinued, reflecting network operators’ transition toward next-generation converged network architectures addressed by solutions within our Converged Packet Optical product line.
Software and Software-Related Services
The Company's software business has principally consisted of the development and licensing of element and network management software and software-related services that support our hardware offerings. In connection with our acquisition of Cyan during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company unified the software resources and activities of both companies with a focus on providing next-generation, multi-vendor network virtualization, service orchestration and management solutions oriented around our Blue Planet platform. During fiscal 2016, software revenue was principally derived from our element and network management solutions related to our hardware sales. The market relating to the SDN, NFV and orchestration use cases for our Blue Planet software platform is in the early stages. As such, revenue from the Blue Planet software has been immaterial to date.
Blue Planet Software Platform. The Company's Blue Planet software platform is a modular, network virtualization, service orchestration and network management software platform that simplifies the creation, automation and delivery of services across multi-vendor and multi-domain network environments. Blue Planet is multi-functional in that it is designed to simplify the management, deployment and orchestration of hardware and software elements and services, from us or third-party vendors, based on the requirements of a network operator. Blue Planet utilizes a container-based, micro-services software architecture that provides flexibility to support the following use cases from a unified software platform:
WAN Automation. Multi-layer WANs have historically operated using vendor-specific management systems, with limited awareness of adjacent layers or network resources, resulting in additional complexity and cost, and challenging network management. Through its automation, management and control of multi-vendor and multi-layer network infrastructures, our SDN-based WAN automation solution eliminates this complexity. The Company's WAN automation solution enables network operators to visualize and control these disparate network elements through a unified solution that incorporates open APIs and resource adapters to control a range of third-party network elements. They believe this solution can enable network operators to simplify their network environments and accelerate end-to-end service delivery.
Multi-Domain Service Orchestration (MDSO). Network infrastructures are comprised of multiple technology layers and domains — such as the data center, cloud, metro, access and core networks — and it is often complex for network operators to offer services end-to-end in this environment. Blue Planet enables service orchestration across multiple network (physical and virtual) domains and multiple hardware and software vendors. By using open APIs and model-driven templates, Blue Planet integrates with third-party SDN controllers, element and network management systems, and orchestration platforms. The Company believes their MDSO solution can enable network operators to minimize vendor-specific management silos, reduce network complexity and enhance service management.
NFV Orchestration (NFVO). To reduce dependence upon single-purpose hardware platforms and accelerate the time to market for new revenue-generating services, network operators are increasingly looking for solutions that enable network functions through software that runs on industry-standard servers, network and storage platforms. Blue Planet provides network operators with carrier-grade, NFV management and orchestration capabilities for instantiating and managing virtualized network functions and data center resources. Blue Planet uses an open, vendor-agnostic approach that allows network operators to select and scale those virtual network functions (VNFs) they wish to offer to their end customers. We believe that our NFVO solution can enable network operators to increase network programmability, reduce complexity and cost, and reduce time-to-market with new, revenue-generating services.
SD-WAN Service Orchestration. This overlay technology allows service providers and enterprises to create low cost, secure virtual connections between branch offices and cloud or corporate data centers. Unlike traditional dedicated IP services, SD-WANs run “over the top” of the public internet, leveraging available broadband access links provided by physical or virtual customer premises equipment (CPE). The Company's flexible, open orchestration framework helps service providers overcome a number of key challenges and avoid the creation of vendor-specific operational silos. By serving as a vendor-agnostic abstraction layer, their SD-WAN orchestration solution enables integration with an existing OSS platforms and a highly differentiated services offering that combines cloud, NFV, and WAN resources.
The Company's software portfolio also includes the Navigate path computation engine and network-level software applications that enable WAN services over an open network ecosystem. The Blue Planet V-WAN application provides service providers the tools to offer enterprise, content, and cloud services to end users in a more automated and self-service oriented manner. They also offer network-level software applications, including Protect and Optimize, that enable network operators to improve reliability, to allow for more rapid network restoration, and to better monetize cloud-based services.
Element and Network Management Solutions and Software. The Company's software offerings also include our OneControl Unified Management System used by network operators in connection with our networking platforms. This integrated network and service management solution supports our Converged Packet Optical, Packet Networking and Optical Transport product lines from a single platform. OneControl offers end-to-end service creation, activation, and assurance to enable rapid deployment of next-generation wavelength, OTN and packet services. It also provides visualization of fault and performance information for network health status and it enables management functions, including network inventory, network element configuration backup, network element software delivery and security administration.
The Company's element and network management software offering also includes a number of software solutions that support our installed base of network solutions. These include:
The Company's software suite also includes Ciena OnePlanner, a suite of planning tools for advanced, multi-layer network design. OnePlanner correlates data from different network layers, allowing the network planner to easily see the association between services, facilities, and equipment.
Software-Related Services. Software-related services include software subscription services, consulting, network migration and integration, installation and upgrade support services, and technical support relating to our software offerings.
The Company's software business has principally consisted of the development and licensing of element and network management software and software-related services that support our hardware offerings. In connection with our acquisition of Cyan during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company unified the software resources and activities of both companies with a focus on providing next-generation, multi-vendor network virtualization, service orchestration and management solutions oriented around our Blue Planet platform. During fiscal 2016, software revenue was principally derived from our element and network management solutions related to our hardware sales. The market relating to the SDN, NFV and orchestration use cases for our Blue Planet software platform is in the early stages. As such, revenue from the Blue Planet software has been immaterial to date.
Blue Planet Software Platform. The Company's Blue Planet software platform is a modular, network virtualization, service orchestration and network management software platform that simplifies the creation, automation and delivery of services across multi-vendor and multi-domain network environments. Blue Planet is multi-functional in that it is designed to simplify the management, deployment and orchestration of hardware and software elements and services, from us or third-party vendors, based on the requirements of a network operator. Blue Planet utilizes a container-based, micro-services software architecture that provides flexibility to support the following use cases from a unified software platform:
WAN Automation. Multi-layer WANs have historically operated using vendor-specific management systems, with limited awareness of adjacent layers or network resources, resulting in additional complexity and cost, and challenging network management. Through its automation, management and control of multi-vendor and multi-layer network infrastructures, our SDN-based WAN automation solution eliminates this complexity. The Company's WAN automation solution enables network operators to visualize and control these disparate network elements through a unified solution that incorporates open APIs and resource adapters to control a range of third-party network elements. They believe this solution can enable network operators to simplify their network environments and accelerate end-to-end service delivery.
Multi-Domain Service Orchestration (MDSO). Network infrastructures are comprised of multiple technology layers and domains — such as the data center, cloud, metro, access and core networks — and it is often complex for network operators to offer services end-to-end in this environment. Blue Planet enables service orchestration across multiple network (physical and virtual) domains and multiple hardware and software vendors. By using open APIs and model-driven templates, Blue Planet integrates with third-party SDN controllers, element and network management systems, and orchestration platforms. The Company believes their MDSO solution can enable network operators to minimize vendor-specific management silos, reduce network complexity and enhance service management.
NFV Orchestration (NFVO). To reduce dependence upon single-purpose hardware platforms and accelerate the time to market for new revenue-generating services, network operators are increasingly looking for solutions that enable network functions through software that runs on industry-standard servers, network and storage platforms. Blue Planet provides network operators with carrier-grade, NFV management and orchestration capabilities for instantiating and managing virtualized network functions and data center resources. Blue Planet uses an open, vendor-agnostic approach that allows network operators to select and scale those virtual network functions (VNFs) they wish to offer to their end customers. We believe that our NFVO solution can enable network operators to increase network programmability, reduce complexity and cost, and reduce time-to-market with new, revenue-generating services.
SD-WAN Service Orchestration. This overlay technology allows service providers and enterprises to create low cost, secure virtual connections between branch offices and cloud or corporate data centers. Unlike traditional dedicated IP services, SD-WANs run “over the top” of the public internet, leveraging available broadband access links provided by physical or virtual customer premises equipment (CPE). The Company's flexible, open orchestration framework helps service providers overcome a number of key challenges and avoid the creation of vendor-specific operational silos. By serving as a vendor-agnostic abstraction layer, their SD-WAN orchestration solution enables integration with an existing OSS platforms and a highly differentiated services offering that combines cloud, NFV, and WAN resources.
The Company's software portfolio also includes the Navigate path computation engine and network-level software applications that enable WAN services over an open network ecosystem. The Blue Planet V-WAN application provides service providers the tools to offer enterprise, content, and cloud services to end users in a more automated and self-service oriented manner. They also offer network-level software applications, including Protect and Optimize, that enable network operators to improve reliability, to allow for more rapid network restoration, and to better monetize cloud-based services.
Element and Network Management Solutions and Software. The Company's software offerings also include our OneControl Unified Management System used by network operators in connection with our networking platforms. This integrated network and service management solution supports our Converged Packet Optical, Packet Networking and Optical Transport product lines from a single platform. OneControl offers end-to-end service creation, activation, and assurance to enable rapid deployment of next-generation wavelength, OTN and packet services. It also provides visualization of fault and performance information for network health status and it enables management functions, including network inventory, network element configuration backup, network element software delivery and security administration.
The Company's element and network management software offering also includes a number of software solutions that support our installed base of network solutions. These include:
- ON-Center® Network & Service Management Suite, which provides network and service management for our installed base of 4200 Advanced Services Platform and Corestream products;
- Optical Suite Release, which provides network and service management for our installed base of traditional SONET/SDH transport Optical Transport products;
- Ethernet Services Manager, which provides network and service management for our installed base of Packet Networking products; and
- Planet Operate, which provides network and service management for our installed base of Z-Series products acquired from Cyan.
As we seek adoption of our Blue Planet software platform and transition certain existing features, functionality and customers to this platform, including our next-generation network management software to be based on the Blue Planet platform, we expect revenues from our existing element and network management solutions to decline.
The Company's software suite also includes Ciena OnePlanner, a suite of planning tools for advanced, multi-layer network design. OnePlanner correlates data from different network layers, allowing the network planner to easily see the association between services, facilities, and equipment.
Software-Related Services. Software-related services include software subscription services, consulting, network migration and integration, installation and upgrade support services, and technical support relating to our software offerings.
My Path Forward
Ciena Corporation is another one of the companies that fall into that rather broad and expanding area of fiber optic networking. As such, it has potential written all over it, for me. Based on it's great fundamentals as well as its recent share price pullback, I feel this is a company with a reasonable price and an explosive future. I intend to start a small position in this company in the very near future and then see how it reacts to the markets. As a DGI I wish it paid a dividend but very few of the companies in this area are paying any dividend at all.
I believe there's potential here for this company as well as others in this space and I intend to be part of this industry as it moves forward. I expect there to continue to be an unending and ever expanding appetite for digital media and as the demand increases, the capacity must increase also. Profits will follow that demand.
Ciena Corporation is another one of the companies that fall into that rather broad and expanding area of fiber optic networking. As such, it has potential written all over it, for me. Based on it's great fundamentals as well as its recent share price pullback, I feel this is a company with a reasonable price and an explosive future. I intend to start a small position in this company in the very near future and then see how it reacts to the markets. As a DGI I wish it paid a dividend but very few of the companies in this area are paying any dividend at all.
I believe there's potential here for this company as well as others in this space and I intend to be part of this industry as it moves forward. I expect there to continue to be an unending and ever expanding appetite for digital media and as the demand increases, the capacity must increase also. Profits will follow that demand.
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