Nortel brings Clarity to optical network kit

Distributor to supply Nortel's Optical Metro 5000 range to system integrators

Distributor Clarity further expanded its portfolio last week by signing an agreement with Nortel to sell its optical networking product range.

Under the terms of the deal, Clarity will supply Nortel’s Optical Metro 5000 range to higher-end customers through its system integrator (SI) community.

Simon Welch, marketing director at Clarity, said: “We have worked with Nortel for some years now, not so much on the voice over IP and networking side, but more where the infrastructure stack for applications deployment meets the network. One area that Nortel is very keen to develop is pushing its optical products down into the upper mid-market and we have the right SI partners to do this.

“This kind of product sells extremely well in the banking and finance sectors. For most ordinary sized businesses it would be a little expensive, but we are looking at a technology that is more suited

to firms operating in the Times top 1,000 bracket that have proper data

centres,” he added.

Welch said Clarity is aiming to bring its existing EMC and Sun products together with the Nortel range to offer a complete data replication and business continuity solution to new and existing SIs.

“Clarity is geared up with good investment to support additional Nortel partners. It’s not volume,

it’s quality we are looking for,” added Welch.

Tony Bailey, General Manager at Nortel, said: “Clarity has the right channel for this product, particularly the systems integrator community, which is a primary focus for us and an area where we acknowledge Clarity has extensive relationships. By pro-actively investing in the skills required, Clarity should be able to take advantage of the rapidly emerging optical opportunity we are seeing in the commercial enterprise sector.”

[email protected]