ClearAccess’ technology will enable Cisco to offer service providers better capabilities for managing home networks.
Cisco Systems
is bolstering its network management tools for service providers in its bid to
buy the software business of ClearAccess.
The giant
networking vendor announced the acquisition plan March 28, with officials
saying that the new products Cisco will inherit will help service providers
deal with issues of rapidly growing Internet traffic, increasing network
complexity and a proliferation in the number and types of mobile devices
connecting to their networks.
"The
ClearAccess acquisition reinforces Cisco's commitment to service providers by
accelerating software architectural advancements in mobility, cloud and managed
devices, and video," Jamie Lerner, vice president and general manager of
service provider applications for Ciscos Network Management Technology Group,
said in a statement. "ClearAccess provides a critical technology that will
advance Cisco's mission to offer service providers a complete set of tools to
manage their networks, within the home and across any connected device, amid
the ongoing proliferation in network traffic."
No financial
details of the deal were disclosed. It is expected to close later this year.
ClearAccess,
which is based in Vancouver, Wash., offers its ClearVision broadband network
management platform, which leverages the TR-069 protocol and makes it easier
for service providers to see into subscriber home networks and mobile devices;
monitor and manage such aspects as diagnostics, analytics, bandwidth usage,
firewalls and bandwidth use; and offer new applications.
Cisco is
looking to buy the software portion of ClearAccess business, and fold the
products and employees into its Network Management Technology Group.
ClearAccess technology will support the Cisco Prime network management
software portfolio. Cisco officials said ClearAccess cloud-based services will
give them new capabilities that will make it easier for service providers to
test services and deploy them.
ClearAccess
hardware business, which sells Smart RG Gateways, will continue on as SmartRG
Inc., according to Cisco.
Cisco
executives have been aggressive in offering service providers products and
platforms to help them deal with the trends that are putting greater pressure
on their networks. For example, the ClearAccess deal dovetails with Cisco's acquisition in May 2011 of newScale, which among other things helps service providers add
self-service capabilities to their offerings.
Cisco is
predicting Internet traffic to grow exponentially over the next few years. In
their annual Visual Networking Index Forecast released in June 2011, Cisco officials said they expect
Internet traffic worldwide will hit 966 exabytes per year by 2015, with growth
between 2014 and 2015 alone being 200 exabytesmore than the total amount of
traffic generated worldwide in 2010.
Key drivers of
this growth are the number of Internet users and network-connected devices,
including PCs, smartphones, tablets and smart appliances. Cisco is predicting
that by 2015, there will be 3 billion Internet users and 15 billion
network-connected devices.
Bandwidth-eating
video also will play a role. Within the next few years, Cisco predicts that
video will account for as much as 90 percent of all Internet traffic.
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