IBM software embedded in Nortel's new network management platform

Corporate IT Update, March 22, 2007

CORPORATE IT UPDATE-(C)1995-2007 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Information technology company IBM (NYSE:IBM) and communications solutions provider Nortel (NYSE:NT)(TSX:NT) announced on Wednesday (21 March) that IBM software is being embedded as a building block for a new network management platform from Nortel.

According to the company, Nortel is embedding IBM's Tivoli Netcool software as the basis of its Common Management Platform, designed to deliver enhanced network control capabilities with a common feature set across the whole family of Nortel's service provider solutions. The new platform is expected to provide critical capabilities for service provider network operations, including a hardened security framework, a common set of network management applications, and a common service assurance suite. Nortel's Common Management Platform, built upon the IBM Tivoli Netcool framework, will provide a standard operational model across Nortel's Carrier Networks and Metro Ethernet Networks portfolios, the company claims.

The first Nortel service provider solution to launch with the IBM-powered enhanced management platform is reportedly Nortel's Metro Ethernet Manager, a network and service management system created for Nortel's Metro Ethernet solution based on the Provider Backbone Transport (PBT) technology. Additional Nortel Service Providers solutions with the new Common Management Platform are expected to roll out throughout 2007.

No financial or pricing details were disclosed.

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