Iometrix Opens West Coast Lab

SAN FRANCISCO -- Iometrix, the leading standard certification authority, today announced the opening of its San Jose research and testing facility to address the certification gap within the networking and telecommunications industry. Iometrix has already begun creating test plans that focus on standards compliance and has been selected by the Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance (EFMA) to create the first certification test plan for the nearly completed draft IEEE 802.3ah efm standards.

“The Iometrix IO Certification Program was created to measure metrics service providers care about most - how products perform against the industry standards,” said Bob Mandeville, president and founder of Iometrix. “Standards create a level playing field for equipment vendors and enable service providers and network professionals to deploy equipment with confidence knowing exactly how systems and services will perform and interoperate within a given network infrastructure.”

Iometrix’s IO Certification Program is designed to test compliance with new and emerging standards as passed by the IEEE, IETF, ITU, MEF and other standard setting bodies. In 2003, the IEEE alone ratified over 70 new standards. With networking and telecommunications spending on the rise, the need to provide enterprise customers and service providers with proof of compliance has become critical. For instance, the IEEE 802.3 ah efm draft standards specify how Ethernet services are delivered in the last mile over short reach and long reach copper as well as fiber-based E-PON services. The standard also specifies how vendors address Ethernet service multiplexing and Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) functions. Based on the draft standard, Iometrix is inaugurating its IO Certification Program by evaluating vendor compliance with the EFM operations, administration, and management (OAM) specification. With growing focus on how carriers can improve top-line revenue and lower bottom-line costs in the last mile, how vendors incorporate these standards will be crucial to carriers achieving their financial goals.

“The last mile of the carriers’ network is one of the most complex to manage given the wide variety of technologies, physical media and rate and reach issues and the IEEE 802.3ah was created to help streamline the introduction of Ethernet services into this segment,” said Craig Easley, president of the Ethernet in the First Mile Alliance. “Leveraging the Iometrix IO Ethernet First Mile Certification Test Plan to certify vendor compliance with OAM specification will enable carriers to more quickly realize the operational savings made possible when introducing Ethernet services into their networks.”

With over 20,000 square feet of testing facilities, Iometrix is well equipped to support interoperability tests and “hot stage” events to support the ongoing work of the MEF, EFMA and other standard setting bodies. Iometrix recently completed the first wave of product testing based on the IO Ethernet in the First Mile Certification Program. Hatteras Networks Metro Ethernet Copper Access platform was the first Ethernet over copper platform tested and passed each component as IO Certified in how the products comply with the draft IEEE 802.3ah efm standards.

“The lack of standards-based solutions has inhibited some of the world’s largest carriers from deploying Ethernet over copper in the first mile of their networks. By partnering with the EFMA, Iometrix is taking the standards process one step by certifying each vendor’s implementation of the standard as carrier grade,” said Kevin Sheehan, president and CEO of Hatteras Networks. “This added confidence will further enable carriers to take advantage of Ethernet over copper as high performance, economical, natural extension of fiber-based Ethernet services to business customers.”

Iometrix Inc.