Crescent Networks Introduces First Carrier-Class Solution for Profitable Routed Network Services.

Business/Technology Editors

LOWELL, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 2001

VRX-1000 and C-View Service Manager Dramatically Reduce Capital

Equipment Cost and Ongoing Operational Expenses of Delivering Routed

Network Services

Crescent Networks today unveiled the VRX-1000(TM) Service Edge Router and the C-View Services Manager(TM) for the delivery of carrier-provided routed network services to medium and large enterprise customers, and service partners, including application service providers (ASPs), web hosting providers and network storage providers. The VRX-1000 and C-View Services Manager together support a Dense Virtual Routed Networking (DVRN) architecture with thousands of distinct, secure, easily managed virtual routed networks with millions of users on a single integrated platform. The result is that the VRX-1000 and C-View Services Manager enable network service providers for the first time to offer profitable routed network services across their networks.

Today, service providers struggle to scale up the delivery of revenue-generating routed network services by deploying separate access routers for each customer and executing complex manual provisioning processes. The result is a series of expensive and hard-to-manage overlay networks with escalating capital and operational expenses that quickly eliminate profits. Now carriers can deploy the VRX-1000 and C-View Services Manager to dramatically reduce both the capital equipment cost and ongoing operational expenses of delivering routed network services, while providing a rich set of services and integration with existing networks that these operators require.

"Driving down costs and expenses has always been important, but it has now become imperative for carriers today who are under tremendous financial pressure to quickly recoup their investments on high speed transport and core IP routing infrastructure," says Gerald Wesel, President and CEO at Crescent Networks. "The VRX-1000 and C-View Services Manager was developed for the express purpose of enabling service providers to reduce the high capital equipment costs of providing today's routed network services while simultaneously driving down the enormous operational expenses associated with scaling up their network to meet market demands."

"Carriers have had a long-standing problem in providing medium to large-sized enterprise customers with valuable, customized network services at a reasonable cost. The complexity and cost of scaling up their networks and operations have prevented service providers from addressing this mid-market opportunity," says Christine Heckart, President of Telechoice. "Crescent Networks' purpose-built solution for service providers supports 1000s of customized private IP networks from a single platform, eliminating the need for discrete overlay networks."

VRX-1000 Service Edge Router

Crescent Networks' VRX-1000 supports a full spectrum of virtual routing functionality, with unprecedented density, scale, and flexibility, to enable profitable routed network services. The system supports over 1000 virtual routers, with total flexibility in configuration of protocols and physical ports for each virtual router. In addition, each virtual router of the system can scale from a single static route to a full Internet router. The VRX-1000 supports a rich set of protocols, including BGP, IS-IS, OSPF, RIP, and MPLS. The system provides support for differentiated services with wire-speed, application-level QoS at rates up to 2.5 Gbps. Finally, the system supports a wide range of ATM, Frame Relay, POS, and Gigabit Ethernet network interfaces, to ensure easy integration with a variety of access and core network technologies.

C-View Services Manager

The C-View Services Manager is a complete software platform for flexible service creation and rapid provisioning of routed network services. The system provides an innovative drag-and-drop provisioning model for IP services, and a powerful graphic user interface. In addition, C-view enables flow-through provisioning of IP services and easy integration with third party Operational Support System applications, via a Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) application programming interface (API), standard Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), and Command Line Interface (CLI) support. The open architecture of the system also allows easy Integration with best of breed network engineering, service level agreement (SLA) management, and billing applications.

Availability and Pricing

The VRX-1000 and C-View Services Manager are available for beta trials by qualified network service providers in Q3 2001, with initial customer shipments planned by end of year 2001. The list price of a VRX-1000 base system is $200,000.

Additionally, Crescent Networks today announced their customer care program in conjunction with the introduction of the VRX-1000 Service Edge Router and C-View Services Manager. Please see the announcement "CRESCENT NETWORKS INTRODUCES CUSTOMER CARE PROGRAMS," dated May 21, 2001.

About Crescent Networks

Crescent Networks, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts providing the first carrier-class solutions for profitable routed network services. Utilizing Dense Virtual Routed Networking (DVRN) with full-spectrum dynamic virtual routing, optical-rate application-aware quality of service and simple, but powerful service management, Crescent Networks' solutions dramatically reduce incremental capital equipment costs and the ongoing operations expense of supporting numerous overlay, routed networks and enables network service providers to finally deliver routed network services profitably throughout their network.

Crescent Networks is funded by industry-leading investors led by top-tier venture firms - Bessemer Venture Partners, JAFCO Ventures, St.Paul Venture Capital and Venrock Associates. Its top-notch talent has a proven track record for developing successful networking solutions at leading companies including 3Com, AT&T, Cabletron, Cascade, Ciena, Digital, Intel, Lucent Technologies, MCI WorldCom, Newbridge and Nortel Networks. For more information visit http://www.crescentnetworks.com.