Vello Systems introduces 'Precision Application NetworkingTM' software

Vello Systems has announced "Precision Application NetworkingTM" (PAN) software powering a new class of open, standards-based optical networking switches that will fundamentally change how network architectures are designed and deployed.

Today, traditional service providers, a new class of cloud service providers and efficiency-focused enterprises are all under significant pressure to monetize and manage the load of data-heavy applications such as high-definition video streaming, mobile data, cloud computing and Internet-connected devices. The new Vello-powered optical devices will relieve these pressure points by optimizing the packet/optical routing mix to determine the most efficient network paths for any given application, enabling service providers and enterprises to respond to dynamic service needs, while concurrently reducing operational cost and complexity. This allows users to increase utilization, create service-oriented network paths and dynamically adjust to changing network conditions. As a result, enterprises with hybrid or private clouds and service providers alike can better support dynamic application traffic, avoid costly over provisioning, mitigate wasted or “stranded” CAPEX spending and reduce planning cycles of current static networks.

The new standards-based PAN-powered solutions are a dramatic departure from today’s conventional large, expensive and power-hungry proprietary chassis-based optical systems. The PAN-powered hardware is currently being designed and developed by OEMs and the first systems are expected to be commercially available in late Q2 2014. These systems will not be Vello branded but will be fully interoperable will all of Vello’s software solutions.

These native OpenFlow switches are tailored for data center and enterprise applications in a ground-breaking 1RU “pizza box” design and extensible to 100G, 400G and, ultimately, 1000G (one Terabit). Leveraging merchant optics for connectivity, these OEM switches were designed from the ground up for multi-vendor interoperability, and for new levels of power and space efficiency. They provide 4x the capacity per network element and can accommodate all the active optics required to design and build any optical network. Additionally, these switches are as simple to commission and deploy as an OpenFlow-based white-box Ethernet switch and are available in an enterprise-friendly form factor. This means customers can now have a fully integrated, modular Ethernet and Optical network under common control.

“Our vision is fundamentally to bring the application to the network and gradually replace significant network functions, such as routing, security and application workload management in ways that are mapped to business value,” said Karl May, CEO of Vello Systems. “Our Precision Application Networking software unleashes a new class of data center optical networking device that reduces network complexity, enables networks to securely and intuitively adapt to user preferences in real-time and makes existing hardware more efficient and versatile. These are attributes that our software is already delivering for leading organizations worldwide, including cloud service innovator Pacnet and top-tier financial services companies. Optical router bypass based on the targeted needs of users and applications is now a reality.”

May added, “I anticipate that the new optical solutions that Vello is helping its partners bring to market will be a significant catalyst for networks that can deliver sought-after benefits such as dollar value-based routing instead of traditional edge router set up, virtual cross connect as opposed to unwieldy manual cross connect and optical router bypass to deliver critical business applications, while realizing significant savings in capital and operational expenditures.”

As a pioneering member of the Open Source Optical (OSO) Forum, also announced today, Vello’s optical router bypass software is a key attribute of the OSO’s core mission of spurring the adoption of open source optical solutions in data center and enterprise networks by providing an “open optical” counterpart to the rapidly growing world of merchant-Ethernet-based SDN.