CSCO: Cisco and IBM Expand Alliance to Centralize Service Management for Service Providers

Cisco® and IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced an expansion of their existing strategic alliance to deliver new standards-based telecommunications service assurance and fault-management solutions. Next month, Cisco will introduce a service-management solution that combines Cisco Active Network Abstraction (ANA) technology with the industry-leading IBM Tivoli software to help service providers centrally manage new services. The new offering, Cisco Assurance Management Solution, will provide network fault monitoring, trouble isolation, and real-time service-level event management for large multi-vendor networks on a next-generation mediation platform.

Using the Cisco ANA platform mediation capabilities and IBM Tivoli technology, the Cisco Assurance Management Solution will help service provider customers change and evolve network devices and configurations without having to change their service management and operations support systems applications. This solution will enable service providers to more effectively manage Internet Protocol (IP)-based services and help dramatically reduce implementation and maintenance costs.

"Cisco and IBM have a long history of working together to improve the competitiveness of our joint service provider customers," said Al Zollar, general manager of Tivoli Software for IBM. "This new agreement gives service providers the combined benefits of proven IBM Tivoli technology together with Cisco's breakthrough approach to network mediation with an open, standards-based solution. As IBM looks to help our service provider customers deliver higher return on their network and IT investments, Cisco is a natural partner."

The initial version of the Cisco Assurance Management Solution will include IBM Tivoli Netcool/OMNIbus and Netcool/Precision technology. Cisco is also able to incorporate other Tivoli technologies in future versions of assurance solutions. Cisco will offer professional services to help ensure rapid implementation by its customers.

"Cisco Active Network Abstraction is the basis of future solutions being delivered to our service provider customers. This expanded collaboration with IBM provides customers with the confidence that Cisco's new device management and mediation products will work with IBM software," said Cliff Meltzer, senior vice president of the Network Management Technology Group at Cisco. "The commitment from IBM demonstrates the unique capabilities of Cisco ANA and will provide our joint customers with a platform that transforms their network into a strategic business asset."

The Cisco ANA is designed to be interoperable with IBM Tivoli software, including Tivoli Netcool/Impact and Tivoli Business Service Manager. This expanded alliance will help enable both new and existing Tivoli Netcool and Cisco Info Center customers to effectively take advantage of the benefits of Cisco's ANA platform. Cisco Info Center is the Cisco-branded version of Tivoli Netcool which is used by more than 500 of Cisco's largest customers. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Since 1999, IBM and Cisco have forged a unique, broad-reaching strategic alliance to better enable their customers' ability to innovate. The IBM and Cisco strategic alliance has more than 25,000 joint customers. The companies are a proven resource for the seamless and rapid integration of business processes, industry knowledge, information technologies, and the intelligence of the network, maximizing their customers' ability to envision, design, and innovate to exceed business objectives.

For more information about Cisco Assurance Management Solution, Cisco ANA, and the collaboration, visit www.cisco.com/go/ana

IBM Tivoli Netcool software has been selected by more than 1,000 service providers globally, including all of the top 20 carriers. The software helps service providers ensure quality, reduce operational costs and speed time to market. IBM's recent acquisition of Vallent further extends IBM's ability to help service providers address emerging opportunities in next-generation network transformation, fixed/mobile convergence, and IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) deployment.

For more information about IBM Tivoli and Tivoli Netcool software, visit www-306.ibm.com/software/tivoli/solutions/service-provider/ .