Kontron and Pica8 complete SDN integration on SYMKLOUD

PicOS makes Kontron SYMKLOUD first integrated NFV and fully SDN-enabled converged infrastructure platform

Barcelona, Spain, February 22, 2016 – Kontron, a leading global provider of Embedded Computing Technology (ECT), and Pica8 Inc., the one-stop source for white box networking, today announced that the PicOS network operating system (NOS) is now available as an integral software defined networking (SDN) option to Kontron SYMKLOUD converged infrastructure platforms.
 
Kontron collaborates with a growing network of partners who share the same goal: to make it easy for service providers to deploy SDN and NFV infrastructure. The integration of PicOS as a NOS to its dual 10 GbE or 20 GbE modular switches makes SYMKLOUD a much more complete and feature-rich platform with an abundance of hardware and software configuration options.
 
Service providers can uniquely incorporate both SDN (OpenFlow) and legacy switching and routing functionality and, from this same common, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) SYMKLOUD platform, can equally deploy massively scalable virtualized network functions (VNFs).
 
PicOS is interoperable with notable SDN Controllers – such as Ryu, ONOS, and ODL – which can also operate on any of the nine SYMKLOUD compute modular servers. This gives greater control on how to deliver varying QoS levels for essential services by protecting data and control plane traffic. From a cost savings perspective, this degree of hardware and software integration enables mobile and broadband operators to lessen the dependency on top-of-rack (ToR) equipment, simplify cable management, and help streamline overall infrastructure deployments.
 
COTS hardware designed for a software defined world
As a 2U converged infrastructure platform, SYMKLOUD unifies high density compute, storage and redundant network switches in an ultra-scalable, compact footprint. As a hybrid design approach, it incorporates the best of both carrier grade High Availability (HA) features with the cloud economics of standard IT hardware. SYMKLOUD has also been pre-tested or validated to work seamlessly with any number of NFVi and OpenStack distribution vendors.
 
Bare-Metal, White-Box Switching Operating System (OS)
PicOS eliminates vendor lock-in by delivering open, hardware-agnostic networking. Built on Linux, PicOS incorporates a full Layer-2 and Layer-3 feature set with support for OpenFlow, OVSDB, and other key SDN protocols.
 
“Increasingly, companies are differentiating themselves by using SDN to flexibly and quickly deliver applications and services to their customers,” said Brad Casemore, research director for datacenter networking at IDC. “In offering PicOS on its SYMKLOUD disaggregated platform, Kontron is providing its customers with greater choice while helping them gain the agility they require to bring new services to market faster.”
 
“The timing of this collaboration is very well aligned with what partners and end customers have been calling for during the last several months,” said Antoine Sirois, Director, Product Management, Kontron. “Blending both SDN and NFV technologies on a common COTS platform has tremendous value for service providers who are migrating network functions to their carrier cloud environments.”
 
“Today’s transformative shift for telcos is in how SDN and NFV can be better together than as separate technological ventures,” said Niraj Jain, vice president of business development at Pica8. “At the very least, our work with Kontron simplifies their infrastructure needs so they can focus on improving revenue from agile services.”
 
 
Be sure to visit Kontron during:
Mobile World Congress 2016
Kontron Stand 5H41; Hall 5 – Center Aisle
February 22-25, 2016 | Barcelona, Spain
http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/
 
 
About Pica8, Inc.
Since 2009, Pica8 is the one-stop source for white box networking with PicOS™, a network operating system that enables organizations and original equipment manufacturers to easily integrate Layer-2 / Layer-3 networking and software-defined networking (SDN) using commodity switches. Pica8’s solutions enable real time, hands free provisioning that fits today’s complex networks and scales with them to enable transformation. PicOS supports an industry-standard CLI for Layer-2 / Layer-3, unmodified Linux, and OpenFlow 1.4. Pica8 provides PicOS on both pre-loaded switching hardware or as standalone software for a growing list of compatible bare metal switches. Pica8 is a global company headquartered in Palo Alto, California. For more information, visit www.pica8.com or follow @pica8 on Twitter.
 
PICA8, Inc. Media Contract:
Steve Garrison
415-205-8566
steve@pica8.com
 
About Kontron
Kontron, a global leader in embedded computing technology and trusted advisor in IoT, provides a complete and integrated portfolio of hardware, software and services. Kontron creates many of the standards that drive the world’s embedded computing platforms, bringing to life numerous technologies and applications. The result is an accelerated time-to-market, reduced total-cost-of-ownership, product longevity and the best possible overall application with leading-edge, highest reliability embedded technology.             
Kontron is a listed company. Its shares are traded in the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on other exchanges under the symbol “KBC”.
For more information, please visit: www.kontron.com
 
 
About Kontron in Communications
Kontron designs carrier-class and cloud infrastructure solutions that bring any application to life for the new world of software defined networks (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV). We are experienced system architects who match our clients’ network application requirements with the right hardware and software solutions for the 4G LTE Evolved Packet Core, Content Delivery Networks, and Cloud infrastructure. By partnering with Kontron, service providers and their ISV partners can enter new markets with greater speed, confidence and operational efficiency. For more information, please visit www.symkloud.com or c. Kontron is a Corporate Sponsor of the OpenStack Foundation, and is an ecosystem member of the Alcatel-Lucent CloudBand™ Ecosystem Program, and the Wind River Titanium Cloud NFV partner program.