Netrounds Joins NEC/Netcracker SDN Partner Space to Accelerate Automated Service Assurance and Active, Full Service Lifecycle Testing for Communications Service Providers

LULEÅ, SWEDEN — October 13, 2016 —

Netrounds, a leading provider of active network analytics and software-based test and service assurance solutions for communications service providers (CSPs), announced today that it has joined the NEC/Netcracker SDN Partner Space ecosystem and is collaborating with NEC and Netcracker, providers of software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) solutions as well as business and operations support systems (BSS/OSS). The collaboration will enable CSPs to capture new revenue opportunities by accelerating agile deployments of assured network services and incorporating active test and assurance solutions via open APIs into OSS workflows for increased efficiency and decreased operational expenditures.

Netrounds' software-based active test and assurance platform will be integrated with NEC and Netcracker's orchestration and network monitoring solutions to allow CSPs to deploy an active solution that covers the entire service lifecycle in an automated, DevOps-based and operationally efficient way. This will accelerate the delivery of dynamic network services by eliminating manual efforts that prevent full automation of fulfillment and assurance workflows.

"For our customers, the ultimate end goal is to become more agile and to capture new business opportunities, and this requires solutions built on software, supporting comprehensive end-to-end automation of both operational and lifecycle processes. The integration of Netrounds with NEC and Netcracker's orchestration and network monitoring solutions allows our customers to utilize Netrounds' complete API to automate assurance and active analytics in their networks," said Mats Nordlund, CEO & Co-founder of Netrounds. "The use of our open API for easy integration with OSS, NFV orchestration, service quality management and other adjacent support systems will assist our CSP customers in their quest for zero-touch automation and greater degrees of flexibility and dynamic control."

"Service assurance and analytics are essential components in a truly open multivendor SDN/NFV ecosystem," said Timur Aliev, Head of Product Strategy and Innovation at NEC. "With Netrounds joining NEC/Netcracker SDN Partner Space program and working together with NEC and Netcracker to deliver assured network services, we mitigate the operational risks feared by many in the virtualization journey, giving our customers the ability to combine commercial-ready network and cloud applications seamlessly."

"Fast time-to-market and agile service delivery will be key differentiators in tomorrow's communications market," said Rahul Chandra, Vice President of Worldwide SDN/NFV Business Development at Netcracker. "NEC's and Netcracker's IT and networking expertise combined with Netrounds' service assurance and testing solutions will allow service providers to drive their virtualization initiatives forward, helping them redefine customer engagement models and become preferred services partners."

About Netrounds

Founded in 2007, Netrounds is an active network analytics solution provider for physical, hybrid and virtual networks. Netrounds' programmable, software-based test and service assurance capabilities enable communications service providers to enhance the end user experience of IP-based services such as Internet, TV, voice and other quality-demanding business services. Its extensive feature set covers all network and service layers for assurance and visibility of the full service lifecycle - service activation testing, ongoing quality monitoring and remote troubleshooting. Netrounds solutions are used by more than 270 network operators, service providers and enterprises worldwide and it is headquartered in Lulea, Sweden, with offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Stockholm, Sweden.