Press Releases

 

2007

FORCE10 NETWORKS JOINS WITH ARUBA, STILLSECURE AND AVAYA TO DELIVER RELIABLE BUSINESS NETWORKS

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 21, 2007 Force10 Networks®, the pioneer in building and securing reliable networks, today announced that it is joining with Aruba Networks (NASDAQ: ARUN), StillSecure® and Avaya to deliver reliable network solutions that ensure the enterprise can flexibly adapt to emerging applications.  The Force10 purpose-built enterprise ecosystem optimizes the interaction between the network and the critical enterprise services, such as voice, mobility and security, based on unique customer evaluation criteria. 

“Enterprises are increasingly depending on their networks as a strategic asset and require optimized networking solutions to support the higher performance value expected of the network,” said Stephen Garrison, vice president of marketing at Force10 Networks.  “With the purpose-built ecosystem, Force10 and its partners provide a clear best-of-breed ecosystem that enables businesses to flexibly architect their networks based on the applications the network supports today and will need to support in the future.”  

As applications evolve and new ones emerge, IT managers are constantly challenged to build a network that can flexibly respond to new and often unknown requirements.  By building a unified network fabric that extends pervasive reliability, network control and scalability from the data center to the wiring closet, IT managers can build the flexibility and application readiness into their network to ensure it is a strategic asset.  This is the Reliable Business Network.

The purpose-built ecosystem is crucial to the Reliable Business Network, allowing customers to optimize their key services according to their unique evaluation criteria.  With proven interoperability throughout the ecosystem, Force10 and its partners not only provide optimized solutions but also eliminate the uncertainty of deploying a best-of-breed solution. To build truly reliable business networks that are application ready and can provide long-term investment protection, it is essential to build the network for specific business requirements. 

Force10 and Aruba Networks have partnered to deliver a seamlessly interoperable solution that combines reliable switching and routing with robust WLAN networking and client-to-core security.  The resilient, fault-tolerant Force10 C300 switch features the high uptime and low latency required for mission critical applications.  Aruba’s user-centric approach to secure mobility extends network connectivity and enterprise security wherever a user roams while allowing even the largest network to be centrally managed. 

“The seamless interoperability between Aruba and Force10 products will make this new ecosystem a welcome choice for integrators and end users alike,” said Peter Cellarius, vice president of business development of Aruba Networks.  “We’re very pleased to have been selected as Force 10’s wireless LAN vendor of choice.”

Force10 has joined with StillSecure to facilitate deep integration of network access control (NAC) at the switch level, the most secure method for enforcing 802.1x-based policies.  StillSecure’s Safe Access® NAC solution tests endpoint devices as they attempt to log onto the network and determines status based on their ability to comply with pre-assigned security policy.  Once the device’s status is determined, enforcement is conducted through the Force10 C-Series resilient switch.

“We are excited to partner with Force10 because they understand the benefits of using open standards like 802.1x to further embed security into the network,” said Alan Shimel, chief strategy officer at StillSecure.  “Customers using Force 10’s C300 switches can now deploy Safe Access knowing that they’re able to enforce security policies using the most secure method available.”

To provide greater value to enterprises by speeding time to deployment of VoIP services over the network, Force10 has joined the Avaya DeveloperConnection program.  The Force10 C300 resilient switch complements Avaya’s Communication Manager Internet protocol (IP) telephony software that supports intelligent communications. 

To optimize solutions in the data center, Force10 has partnered with computing, storage and Layer 4-7 vendors such as IBM, Dell, Isilon Systems and Lefthand Networks.

About Force10 Networks
Force10 Networks develops high-performance data center solutions powered by the industry’s most innovative line of open, standards-based, networking hardware and software. The company’s Open Cloud Networking framework grants Web 2.0/portal operators, cloud and hosting providers, enterprise and special-purpose data center customers new levels of flexibility, performance, scale and automation—fundamentally changing the economics of data center networking. Force10 Networks operates globally, providing 24x7 service and support to its customer base in more than 60 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.force10networks.com.

Contact:
Michael Schoolnik
StoryPR on behalf of Force10 Networks Inc.
+1 415-674-3816
michael@storypr.com

Force10 Networks, the Force10 Networks logo, Force10, E-Series, Traverse, and TraverseEdge are registered trademarks and Open Cloud Networking, Z-Series, ZettaScale, ExaScale, S-Series, TeraScale, FTOS, Open Automation, are trademarks of Force10 Networks, Inc. All other company names are trademarks of their respective holders.