French Steel Giant Sollac Selects N.E.T. Frame Relay for Network Cost Savings; Sollac Chooses IDNX Multiservice Platform for Integrated Voice Data Services.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.,--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 1995--N.E.T. today announced that Sollac, a large subsidiary of the world's second largest steel group -- Groupe Usinor Sacilor -- selected an N.E.T.(TM) IDNX(R) multiservice backbone network to improve networking efficiencies and reduce costs. Sollac had been operating two discrete networks installed in the mid-eighties and the company was looking for the best way to consolidate traffic for optimum network usage. Sollac is served by France Telecom for its network needs.

"We knew that if we adopted a new approach to networking, we could make significant savings," said Pierre Berquez, network manager, Sollac. "We looked at proposals from the major vendors. We pared the list of possible suppliers down to N.E.T. and one other vendor with a frame relay focus. In the end, we went for the N.E.T. solution because it was better able to deal with the volume of traffic we were likely to generate, and would reduce overhead costs." Sollac had been operating two separate networks for voice and data. The voice network used France Telecom's Colise service and performed satisfactorily. But the data network interconnected sixteen different sites using equipment that was based on IBM's SNA/VTAM architecture. Using proprietary architecture meant the data network could not handle protocols other than SDLC and it was relatively expensive to operate. For more efficient internetworking, the company needed to use an open standard such as the Unix Internetworking Protocol (IP).

To increase efficiency and reduce costs, Sollac decided to concentrate its data processing equipment and applications at four sites from the previous sixteen locations. This meant that the backbone had to be capable of handling much greater volumes of network traffic and provide higher levels of access than the original network could manage at that time.

Another consideration for Berquez and his team was the disparate environments in which new applications were being developed. Scientific applications were developed under Unix, while office applications ran under Novell NetWare or Banyan Vines. The ability to transmit rich text, technical drawings and video from one environment to another and one site to another would produce major benefits. The result would be increased competitiveness and a better quality of service to customers as well as a much improved cost/benefit ratio.

The first stage in the implementation of Sollac's new network involved a period of planning and consultation throughout the company that lasted from June 1992 to January 1993. Ultimately, Berquez and his colleagues opted for an architecture that would integrate voice and data in France and retain two separate networks for international traffic. Video would be transmitted over France Telecom's RNIS (ISDN) network.

N.E.T. provided a meshed network based on France Telecom's Transfix service connecting six sites with IDNX multiservice backbone capabilities integrating voice and data. The network features frame relay capabilities provided by the integral N.E.T. Frame Relay Exchange(TM) (FRX) module. The FRX offers low cost-per-port access to high-speed networks in mid-range applications, in Sollac's case connecting the company's IBM 37xx computers and Cisco routers.

"Working together, N.E.T. and France Telecom implemented our new network in good time," comments Monsieur Berquez. "In fact, we think we're one of the first IBM users in France to adopt this type of solution."

Voice communications over the private network between Sollac sites are now much more cost effective. The network is also very resilient. Continuous availability is ensured for voice even if there is problem with the public network services. As for data, it can be given priority and automatic re-routing means the service is never uninterrupted.

France Telecom supervises and maintains the multiservice backbone network and the Transfix lines, and Sollac staff takes care of the rest of the network. The Sollac factory runs twenty four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year, so the business can not afford interruptions to its communications. Availability of the data network must be 99.99%. By using frame relay on the IDNX multiservice bandwidth manager, Sollac has the dynamic bandwidth management it needs, allowing for bursts of traffic and guaranteed response times. Cost savings have met projections. The option to use Transfix circuits has resulted in line costs coming down by 20 percent per year.

The N.E.T. IDNX family of multiservice bandwidth managers consists of five sophisticated networking models that combine efficient multiplexing, intelligent call-routing, LAN internetworking, Frame Relay switching, ISDN signalling and network management. The IDNX systems are part of the N.E.T. Vista Architecture, a multiservice architecture for broadband and narrowband wide area networks.

N.E.T. is a leading worldwide supplier of multiservice backbone networks for information-intensive enterprises and network service providers. The company has networks installed in more than 50 countries. Customers include financial, transportation, manufacturing, service, government, and telecommunications organizations requiring the efficient and reliable transport of mission-critical information on a regional, national or global basis. N.E.T. is certified to the exacting worldwide ISO 9001 standard for design, manufacturing and servicing and to the TickIT quality standard for software development. The company is based in Redwood City, California. Its European headquarters are in Crawley, Sussex.

For further information, please contact Jo North at N.E.T. Europe Ltd., The Manor, Manor Royal, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 2PY Telephone: [phone] Facsimile: 01293 600701 -0-

Note to Editors: Network Equipment Technologies, N.E.T., Frame Relay Exchange and the N.E.T. logo are trademarks and IDNX is a registered trademark of Network Equipment Technologies, Inc.

CONTACT: Network Equipment Technologies (N.E.T.), Redwood City

Paul Morrison, 415/780-5010