SAN JOSE, Calif., May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Foundry Networks(R), Inc. , a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today announced that it has delivered a new network infrastructure for Cerner Corp., the leading supplier of healthcare information technology. Foundry is providing high-performance backbone and edge switching technology for a new R&D facility and network upgrade throughout Cerner’s North Kansas City, Mo. headquarters. The new network will support advanced, converged applications such as video multicasting and IP telephony, and will also speed the distribution of software and services to Cerner’s 1,500 clients around the world. This next-generation network infrastructure will provide the foundation for Cerner’s company-wide migration to a global converged network.
For its new network, Cerner chose Foundry’s FastIron(R) 1500 Layer 2/3 modular network switches for the backbone, and Foundry’s industry-leading FastIron 4802 Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) switches, designed to support converged applications such as IP telephony and mobility, for the edge. After thorough and stringent interoperability testing, Cerner selected an IP telephony solution from Foundry convergence partner Avaya to operate on its Foundry Networks infrastructure.
“We required extremely robust network performance and reliability to support the mission-critical, converged applications we are deploying today and in the future,” said Eric Siley, Cerner’s director of information technology. “Foundry’s Power-over-Ethernet switches offered very attractive price/performance and support for applications like Voice-over-IP, including unique features to support our network management and Quality-of-Service requirements. We also placed high value on the ease of migration to 10 Gigabit Ethernet offered by the Foundry solution.”
Cerner’s new Development Center building is a state-of-the-art engineering facility housing more than 1,500 employees, many of whom will soon require Gigabit network connections to the desktop. An efficient upgrade path to 10 Gigabit Ethernet was critical to Cerner because the performance and bandwidth needs of these Cerner “power users” are expected to continue growing.
Beyond building the network within its new R&D facility, Cerner is using Foundry switches for a campus-wide convergence network upgrade designed to support not only IP telephony, but also advanced applications like video multicasting of Cerner’s Town Hall meetings, an important method the company uses to communicate instantly with its thousands of employees around the world.
“Foundry continues to be one of the top infrastructure vendors of choice for enterprises like Cerner who are deploying converged networks, because of our unparalleled network performance, features and customer support, as well as our track record of technical innovation,” said Ken Cheng, vice president of Marketing for Foundry. “Increasingly, enterprises are looking to adopt high-performance converged networks which are secure, scalable and ‘future proofed’ to enable emerging business-critical applications. Our success at Cerner demonstrates our continued commitment to meeting the most demanding customer requirements.”
About Cerner
Cerner Corp. is taking the paper chart out of healthcare, eliminating error, variance and waste in the care process. With more than 1,500 clients worldwide, Cerner is the leading supplier of healthcare information technology. The following are trademarks of Cerner: Cerner, Cerner’s logo. NASDAQ: CERN, http://www.cerner.com/
About Foundry Networks
Foundry Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of high-performance enterprise and service provider switching, routing and Web traffic management solutions including Layer 2/3 LAN switches, Layer 3 Backbone switches, Layer 4 - 7 Web switches, Wireless LAN and access points, and Metro Routers. Foundry’s 6,800 customers include the world’s premier ISPs, Metro service providers, and enterprises including e-commerce sites, universities, entertainment, health and wellness, government, financial, and manufacturing companies. For more information about the company and its products, call 1.888.TURBOLAN or visit http://www.foundrynetworks.com/.
NOTE: Foundry Networks, FastIron and the “Iron” family of marks are trademarks of Foundry Networks, Inc. All other trademarks are the sole property of their respective holders.
CONTACT: North America Europe Asia/Pacific Jill Shanks Tom Herbst Jenny Liu Foundry Networks Kaizo Foundry Networks +1-408-941-7190 +0207-580-8852 Hong Kong jshanks@foundrynet.comtom.herbst@kaizo.net +852-2845-3818 jenny@foundrynet.com Investor Contact: Jason Golz Financial Dynamics +1-415-439-4532 jgolz@fd-us.com
Foundry Networks, Inc.
CONTACT: media, North America, Jill Shanks of Foundry Networks,+1-408-941-7190, or jshanks@foundrynet.com; or Europe, Tom Herbst of Kaizo,+0207-580-8852, or tom.herbst@kaizo.net, for Foundry Networks; orAsia/Pacific, Jenny Liu of Foundry Networks Hong Kong, +852-2845-3818, orjenny@foundrynet.com; or investors, Jason Golz of Financial Dynamics,+1-415-439-4532, or jgolz@fd-us.com, for Foundry Networks
Web site: http://www.cerner.com/
Web site: http://www.foundrynetworks.com/
