The Optical Internetworking Forum last month said it is developing specifications for providing security of management interfaces to optical network elements. The implementation agreements from this project will assist service providers in protection against denial of service, unauthorized access and modification of network elements and data, the OIF said. This is the first time OIF has addressed security as a stand-alone effort. OIF has passed an implementation agreement outlining the Call Detail Records for User-Network Interface 1.0 billing. This specification lets carriers capture usage records on optical connections so they can offer usage-based billing for optical services.
Agere Systems Inc. last month announced its intention to get out of the optoelectronics business and focus on making chips for communications network products. The moves will result in plant closings and 4,000 job losses by the end of next year, the company said. Optoelectronics components transform electrical signals into light and vice versa. They are used in products such as electric eye sensors and optical-fibre components for long-haul networks. “You don’t have to be a genius to understand that the worldwide optoelectronics market is not a very good business right now,” says John Dickson, CEO of Agere.
A new player in the network management field last month garnered US$5 million in its first round of funding. The startup, called Eclyptic, announced July 29 that Austin Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Austin, Tex., funded the company with US$5 million to further develop its software, which the company describes in a statement as “network management solutions that increase the performance, availability and security of enterprise networks.” Eclyptic products are currently in beta testing and a company representative says Eclyptic will be making its company and products public sometime in September. Potential competitors include Matrix NetSystems Inc. and Axcelerant Inc.