Ciena Corporation, the network specialist, has announced the continuing expansion of its global partner program, BizConnect, with the addition of a Managed Services Provider (MSP) partner designation. The new MSP partner type is designed to empower Ciena's service provider partners to compete in high-growth markets and enhance profitability by delivering managed optical, Ethernet and storage transport services based on Ciena's proven reliable, scalable and manageable service-driven networking solutions.

Now more than ever, enterprises face a growing list of disaster recovery and business continuity requirements, including bandwidth-intensive applications such as data replication, disk mirroring and server virtualization. Adding to the challenge are emerging trends like IT virtualization and the proliferation of video services, all of which are contributing to a rise in the costs of maintenance, management and connectivity. As a result, enterprises are increasingly relying on carrier managed services to ensure high network reliability, agility and scalability to achieve optimal cost-efficiency. In fact, industry research firm Vertical Systems estimates that managed services in the U.S. alone will hit $34.7 billion in 2010.

Recognizing the burgeoning market demand among its carrier partners to offer managed services, Ciena created the MSP designation in its BizConnect program as a complement to the existing Solution Provider, Agent and Referral partner types. The MSP designation offers Ciena's carrier partners solutions that deliver high-value managed wavelengths, managed sub-wavelengths, managed WAN optimization and managed Ethernet services. AboveNet, Inc., a leader in fiber optic connectivity solutions and strategic partner to Ciena, is among the first of Ciena's BizConnect partners with the MSP designation. AboveNet is using Ciena solutions to offer its managed services customers the high bandwidth, scalable performance and detailed service level management they have come to expect of its private optical networks. AboveNet offers customers a neutral approach when connecting their networks, seeking the data center best able to meet their present and future needs.

"In today's marketplace, partnerships have become a strategic factor in enabling global success, and expanding our relationship with Ciena extends our capabilities to dynamically adapt and scale our network to meet the fast-changing needs of today's enterprises,” said AboveNet's Executive Director of Business Development and Marketing, MaryBeth Nance. “Ciena's MSP designation within BizConnect provides us with superior sales and marketing support, business and financial incentives, and the ability to successfully sell leading optical and Ethernet managed services.”

Ciena offers its MSP partners the support needed to achieve business growth and market success based on a framework that includes:

Service Development : Ciena works with its partners to define services, specify target markets and identify architectural requirements, including providing targeted market research, market sizing, growth projections and revenue projections.

Service Deployment: Ciena helps its partners accelerate lab testing and certification in order to bring services to market more rapidly, ultimately translating into additional revenue and improved return on investment.

Service Velocity: Ciena compresses equipment delivery time using proven inventory management and forecast optimization strategies, offering dedicated sales and marketing resources to assist in customer prospecting and launching services to the market.

"BizConnect's new MSP designation is a key building block of our evolving partner program" said Theresa Caragol, vice president, Global Alliances & Partners at Ciena. "This partner type was developed based on feedback from current BizConnect members as well as market indicators and demand, and is designed to give our carrier partners a competitive edge by offering a leading product portfolio and a valuable suite of program resources enabling them to deliver differentiated managed services.”

About Ciena's BizConnect Program

With more than 50 elite partners across the globe, the BizConnect program enables partners to tailor every aspect of their relationship with Ciena – including portfolio offerings, promotions, training, incentives and more – customizing participation based on each member's unique business strategy and revenue objectives. In addition to providing partners a wide portfolio of solutions and support, including access to an interactive online partner community, Ciena's BizConnect program offers members industry-leading marketing support including targeted lead-generation campaigns, market development funds, co-branded events and seminars, joint collateral development and innovative media vehicles, as well as strong pre-and-post sales support, to maximize market opportunities.