- Advances SDN leadership with the introduction of Brocade Flow Optimizer, an intelligent flow management application that addresses real-time network performance challenges
- Delivers SDN enhancements to Brocade MLXe routers to maximize network visibility and simplify forwarding control
Advancing the company’s leadership in Software-Defined 
Networking (SDN), Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) today announced the Brocade® Flow Optimizer application and new SDN capabilities in Brocade MLX® Series routers. In the New IP, the Brocade Flow Optimizer enables the network to play a role in understanding anomalous traffic patterns and behaviors, and flags them or takes action in real time.
The Brocade Flow Optimizer is an SDN application that supports an OpenDaylight-based controller that provides real-time policy-based management for network traffic flows. When coupled with Brocade MLXe routers, the Brocade Flow Optimizer enables service providers and enterprises to gain proactive insight into their network traffic, mitigate network attacks, and eliminate network congestion, with the ultimate goal of improving the end user experience.
Organizations operating in today’s New IP environment face increasing demands for cloud-based applications and need to support social, mobile, and Big Data initiatives. However, network performance combined with security-related attacks and breaches continue to impede delivery of services and create additional challenges to network and service reliability. The Brocade Flow Optimizer application allows network managers to mitigate network flood attacks, throttle bandwidth intensive workloads, reprioritize rogue traffic, and redirect suspicious activity for further analysis.
“Service providers are facing threats to the sustainability of their businesses and must reconsider their business models and their approaches to network design. Network intelligence is crucial for successful IP-based services and architectures,” said Ray Mota, CEO and principal analyst at ACG Research. “Brocade, a leading vendor enabling the New IP, is addressing this problem with its comprehensive and open SDN architecture. The Brocade Flow Optimizer SDN application is a prime example of a solution that helps IT and telecom managers to more effectively optimize their networks. Ultimately, this enables them to deliver a better overall user experience, implement cost controls, and enhance revenue initiatives.”
Brocade also announced the Brocade NetIron® OS 5.9 software, building on the continued advancement of SDN capabilities in the Brocade MLXe routers. Providing new OpenFlow features, this latest OS release leverages the industry-leading Brocade VersaScale™ programmable forwarding architecture. By using this architecture with SDN applications such as the Brocade Flow Optimizer, organizations can improve visibility over network traffic and simplify forwarding control.
“With the introduction of the Brocade Flow Optimizer, Brocade is taking a concrete step to help its customers maximize the value of software-driven networks and increase network performance by mitigating network attacks and enabling policy-based traffic engineering,” said Jason Nolet, senior vice president, Switching, Routing, and Analytics Products Group at Brocade. “Brocade is delivering on the merits of agile, New IP networks with a low-risk, highly innovative SDN solution.”
Brocade’s open SDN architecture is a low-risk and modular solution that consists of the Brocade Flow Optimizer application, Brocade SDN Controller, Brocade MLXe routers, and Brocade ICX® campus switches. This unique approach to SDN means organizations can now use standards-based protocols, such as OpenFlow, OpenDaylight-based SDN controllers, and open APIs for integration with third-party orchestration systems. With Brocade Hybrid Port technology, traditional forwarding and OpenFlow traffic are simultaneously supported on the same port. This allows organizations to start their journey to the New IP immediately, seamlessly introducing SDN into their existing networks while protecting current investments.
“As a strategic partner of the Academic Network at Sao Paulo (ANSP), Brocade helped us introduce and enable SDN in our network with innovations like Hybrid Port OpenFlow and the Brocade Flow Optimizer,” said Luis Fernandez Lopez, Chief Technical Officer at ANSP. “As a result, we have gained huge network efficiencies by making our network programmable and reducing the time to provision new services from days to minutes.”
Brocade Solution Features and Benefits
- Policy-based detection and management of Layer 2-4 traffic flows improves network efficiency and the customer experience:
- Proactive mitigation of volumetric Layer 2-4 traffic attacks prevents expensive network downtime and service interruption.
- Support for REST APIs provides ease of integration with third-party cloud orchestration systems.
- Seamless introduction of SDN into existing networks with Hybrid Port OpenFlow protects existing network investments.
- A simple, user-friendly Web-based GUI with dashboards provides real-time event logging and detailed traffic statistics.
Pricing and Availability
The Brocade Flow Optimizer SDN application is generally available. Price is based on a perpetual software license, depending on the network capacity supported. Capacity for up to 20 GB of traffic management is priced at $4,995 and capacity for up to 200 GB of traffic management is priced at $12,995. The Brocade NetIron OS 5.9 software will be available in the third quarter of 2015 at no additional cost to Brocade MLX customers with a current service contract subject to change at Brocade’s sole discretion.
