NORTEL NETWORKS: Nortel Networks and Sun-Netscape Alliance create new
service delivery solution
JAN 11, 2000, M2 Communications - MOUNTAINVIEW and BOSTON -- Nortel
Networks* [NSYE/TSE: NT] and the Sun-Netscape Alliance (Alliance) plan
to jointly develop a new directory-enabled solution that will allow
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Application Service Providers
(ASPs) to create new service bundles, deliver them more quickly, and
manage them more efficiently. This proposed solution is expected to
provide a standards-based framework for the fully-integrated delivery
of next-generation applications and services.
"Nortel Networks and the Sun-Netscape Alliance will use the directory
as the framework for enabling service providers to deliver a whole new
generation of services," said John Morency, executive vice president of
Sage Research.
"This is an opportunity of crucial significance," Morency said.
"Directories are becoming an important part of enterprise network
service delivery but, until now, haven't been practical to implement
for service providers. Nortel Networks and the Sun-Netscape Alliance
intend to address this issue through a simple, standards-based solution
that is intended to transform the manner in which future services are
both provisioned and delivered."
ISPs and ASPs face significant challenges to meet customer and market
demand using today's rigid and fragmented service delivery
infrastructures. With no shared concept of a user, it is difficult and
expensive to offer tailored packages and bring new services to market
quickly. The proposed solution from Nortel Networks and the
Sun-Netscape Alliance will be designed to give service providers more
control over the content and delivery of their service packages so that
they can attack new markets, respond more quickly and effectively to
market dynamics, and offer their customers greater choice.
Nortel Networks and the Sun-Netscape Alliance plan to combine
infrastructure software products from Sun-Netscape with policy services
from Nortel Networks to create the new service provider solution based
on a common integration schema and unified view of users across the
network, service applications and back-office systems.
Nortel Networks and Sun-Netscape will jointly define a directory
schema, which they plan to propose it as an open industry
specification. Each party plans to support this proposed standard with
compliant products by the second half of 2000. "Nortel Networks is
committed to helping ISPs and ASPs take advantage of the e-business
market, which Dataquest forecasts will grow to US$23 billion by 2003,"
said Steve Nicolle, vice president and general manager, Preside Service
Ware Solutions, Nortel Networks. "This scalable, standards-based
directory infrastructure will complement our recently announced Managed
Applications Services Initiative and will certainly help accelerate the
creation and deployment of exciting, new Internet services and business
applications."
"By refining their services and service level agreements from the
application through the entire network stack, service providers will be
able to more tightly integrate their products and compete more
effectively in the Net Economy," said Mark Tolliver, president and
general manager of the Sun-Netscape Alliance. "Our email, calendar, and
web applications already offer a highly customizable platform for
building innovative value-added services, and the Nortel Networks
integration will help us further expand our strong market share in the
growing ASP market."
"The Sun-Netscape Alliance and Nortel Networks are charting new
territory with this initiative," said Bill Willis, vice president
engineering at Interpath Communications Inc. "We fully support the
integration of applications and the network with a standards-based,
directory-centric approach. This will address a real sore spot in our
industry."
"Clearly, a critical issue for ISPs and ASPs is building the
appropriate infrastructure to quickly create and bring to market new
eCommerce services," said Richard von Hagen, a partner with Andersen
Consulting's Communications practice. "By exploiting the capability of
a directory for both business applications and underlying network
controls, this approach makes it easier for us to build valuable
solutions for our clients." Andersen Consulting, a leading global
management and technology consultancy, provides consulting services to
both Nortel Networks and the Sun-Netscape alliance. Proposed
applications and services to be made available under the new service
provider framework include: iPlanet Directory, Web, Messaging, and
Calendar Server products, as well as iPlanet Webtop and Delegated
Administrator products from the Sun-Netscape Alliance.
Also available will be Nortel Networks' Preside Policy Services, a
set of policy services that work across a wide range of network
technology including wireless, dial, digital subscriber loop and cable.
Together, the products will offer a scalable, high-performance
e-commerce infrastructure platform for address assignment, user
authentication, authorization and administration, web application
development, messaging, calendaring, scheduling, and quality of service
management.
About the Sun-Netscape Alliance
America Online, Inc. and Sun Microsystems, Inc.
formed the Sun-Netscape Alliance to provide easy to deploy,
comprehensive enterprise and e-commerce solutions to business partners
and other companies competing in today's Net Economy. The Alliance
product portfolio provides customers with the industry's most scalable,
integrated infrastructure software and a family of production ready
e-commerce applications. The products are offered on the industry's
most widely available product platforms, including DEC, HP, IBM, Linux,
SGI, Microsoft Windows, and Sun. The alliance software product
portfolio includes: messaging and calendar, collaboration, web,
application, directory, and certificate servers. The Alliance also
offers a family of production-ready applications for e-commerce,
including commerce exchange, procurement, selling, and billing.
About America Online, Inc.
Founded in 1985, America Online, Inc., based in Dulles, Virginia, is
the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet
technologies, and e-commerce services. America Online, Inc. operates:
two worldwide Internet services, America Online, with more than 18
million members, and CompuServe, with approximately 2 million members;
several leading Internet brands including ICQ and Digital City, Inc.;
the Netscape Netcenter and AOL.COM portals; and the Netscape Navigator
and Communicator browsers. Through its strategic alliance with Sun
Microsystems, the Company develops and offers easy-to-deploy,
end-to-end e-commerce and enterprise solutions for companies operating
in the Net Economy.
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision - The Network Is The
Computer(TM) -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW), to
its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware,
software and services that power the Internet and allow companies
worldwide to ".com" their businesses.
With US$12.4 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more
than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at sun.com.
About Nortel Networks
Nortel Networks is a global leader in telephony, data, wireless and
wireline solutions for the Internet. The Company had 1998 revenues of
US$17.6 billion and serves carrier, service provider and enterprise
customers globally. Today, Nortel Networks is creating a
high-performance Internet that is more reliable and faster than ever
before. It is redefining the economics and quality of networking and
the Internet through Unified Networks* that promise a new era of
collaboration, communications and commerce. Visit us at
www.nortelnetworks.com.
*Nortel Networks, the Nortel Networks Globemark, Unified Networks and
How the world shares ideas are trademarks of Nortel Networks. Sun, Sun
Microsystems, the Sun logo, The Network is the Computer, and iPlanet
are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in
the United States and other countries. Netscape is a trademark or
registered trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation in the
United States and other countries.
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(C)1994-2000 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTDCONTACT: Ann Fuller, Nortel Networks
Tel: +1 613 768-4512
e-mail: afuller@nortelnetworks.com
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