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Lucent Technologies Purchases Quadritek Systems,
Inc
Purchase of Pennsylvania Firm Adds Leading Internet Protocol (IP)
Network Administration Software For Internet Access To Lucent Portfolio
MURRAY HILL, N.J., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucent Technologies today said
it has acquired Quadritek Systems, Inc., a privately-held, start-up developer
of highly-reliable, next-generation Internet Protocol (IP) network
administration software solutions, for about $50 million in cash. Based in
Malvern, Pa., Quadritek supplies a family of leading products that configure
and automate the administration of global IP networks for enterprises and
service providers.
Quadritek, with more than 400 customers worldwide, is a leader in
delivering IP name and address management software. Name and address
management software involves automatically authenticating and assigning an IP
address to network users, without human intervention or manual on-site
administration. Once a user is assigned an address, the software
automatically updates distributed databases in an IP network.
"The mass migration of corporations and service providers to IP-based
networking is fueling tremendous demand for advanced automated software tools
to simplify network management and administration," said Bill O'Shea,
president of Lucent's Data Networking Systems group. "Quadritek is a leader
in this area today and their products will play a critical role in the new
policy-based management systems of tomorrow, where networks will be managed
down to the specific needs of individual users. This will help us deliver on
our stated goals of reducing network complexity, lowering administrative costs
and improving security for data network operators."
Quadritek technology is based on industry-standard IP protocols such as
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name Service (DNS). The
company's leading product, QIP, delivers network-wide control of the IP
address and name assignments while enabling distributed, local administration
of tasks, ensuring stable, flexible and manageable networking. QIP, which
works on Microsoft NT or UNIX platforms, serves as an authoritative IP address
repository that maintains the characteristics and state of every IP network
object -- including users, administrators, servers, network services and all
other devices.
"Quadritek has the technology, technical expertise and a proven track
record for delivering innovative, best of breed products and technology to the
marketplace," said Arun Kapur, chairman and chief technology officer of
Quadritek. "We are proud to be joining Lucent and Bell Labs, global leaders
in communications networking and innovation."
Kapur, along with Joe D'Andrea, Quadritek president, will join Lucent and
continue to lead the IP address management team from their current location.
They will work within the Data Networking Systems' Enterprise Infrastructure
Products Group, reporting to Menachem Abraham, EIPG president.
Founded in 1993, Quadritek Systems employs about 70 people and has
corporate offices in Winchester, England in addition to its headquarters in
Pennsylvania. The purchase is expected to result in a one-time charge against
earnings. The charge involves an accounting writeoff assigned to in-process
research and development and will be taken in the quarter ending
Dec. 31, 1998. Excluding the one-time charge, the impact of the purchase to
earnings is expected to be immaterial.
In 1997, Lucent unveiled its strategy to address the data networking
business and introduced an enhanced portfolio of intelligent switching, access
and network management products as a part of its plan to dramatically improve
data networking performance.
Since then, Lucent has acquired Livingston Enterprises, Inc. of
Pleasanton, Calif., a leading provider of remote access networking solutions
for the Internet; Prominet Corporation, a Marlborough, Mass.-based developer
of Gigabit Ethernet local area network switching and routing products; Yurie
Systems of Landover, Md., a leading wide area network access equipment
supplier; MassMedia Communications, Inc., based in Natick, Mass., a developer
of network interoperability software; and LANNET, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based
global provider of next-generation Ethernet and ATM intelligent switches for
local area networks.
As a part of its data networking portfolio, Lucent also offers
professional support services capabilities through its NetCare Data Services,
a broad set of consulting, integration, management and maintenance services
for multivendor data and video networks, voice systems and networks and call
centers.
Quadritek sells its solutions through Value Added Resellers (VARs) and
systems integrators in North America and in more than 17 countries around
the world.
Additional information about Quadritek can be accessed on the World
Wide Web at www.quadritek.com.
Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, designs,
builds and delivers a wide range of public and private networks,
communications systems and software, data networking systems, business
telephone systems and microelectronic components. Bell Labs is the research
and development arm for the company. More information about Lucent
Technologies is available on the company's Web site at: www.lucent.com. |
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