DZS Acquires Network Orchestration Innovator RIFT

DZS, a global enabler of intelligent, packet-based mobile transport and broadband access solutions, has acquired network orchestration and automation solutions innovator RIFT.

The acquisition includes the award-winning, carrier-grade RIFT.ware software platform that simplifies the deployment of any slice, service or application on any cloud. This acquisition builds upon the 20 million mobile and fixed broadband products DZS has deployed in more than 100 countries, providing a powerful platform for the new DZS Cloud portfolio, with end-to-end intelligence for software and network orchestration and automation, advanced data analytics and service management.

“The trend toward cloud and open software solutions is undeniable, and with the acquisition of RIFT, DZS accelerates its vision and strategy to deliver and manage intelligent network and processing functions at the network edge,” said Charlie Vogt, President and CEO of DZS. “With our recent Optelian acquisition, the introduction of our DZS Chronos and DZS Velocity portfolios for broadband access and mobile transport powered by sdNOS (the DZS SDN-enabled Network Operating System), and now the introduction of DZS Cloud, our company is more aligned than ever with software-defined, network virtualization and cloud-native automation solutions. The transaction adds a software development center in Bangalore, India and a product operations center in Boston, Massachusetts. DZS Cloud will enable us to deliver differentiated stand-alone and end-to-end cloud-based solutions designed to increase ARPU, lower churn, streamline operations and optimize service provider and enterprise networks.”

The acquired company will complement and strengthen DZS sdNOS embedded development teams. The DZS Cloud portfolio will enhance DZS mobile transport, broadband access and connected premises solutions by enabling the development and deployment of end-to-end services, networking and applications – including OpenRAN or vRAN VNFs and CNFs, 5G network slicing, FTTx network orchestration, enterprise oriented universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) or SD-WAN solutions. RIFT’s world-class engineering team, based in the U.S. and India, will help accelerate the DZS roadmap for Software-Defined Networking (SDN) control, deployment automation, and scaled machine data management and analytics solutions.

The new DZS Cloud platform, powered by RIFT, is a best-in-breed hyperscale-inspired orchestration platform with an extensive partner ecosystem. DZS Cloud simplifies the lifecycle automation for deployment of any network slice, service, and/or application across public, private, hybrid and edge clouds – enabling global operators to integrate virtual network functions (VNFs) or containerized network functions (CNFs) from any vendor. The platform’s modern cloud-native, modular design embraces web-centric open-source technology and standards, offering contemporary API and plug-in driven flexibility to scale and evolve with the largest global network environments. .

“As the access domain shifts to software, global operators are seeking trusted partners to support their digital transformation journey,” said Noel Charath, Senior Vice President of DZS Cloud Operations. “Charlie’s vision for DZS, the company’s trusted position as a partner of choice behind next generation wireline and wireless networks, and their investments in cloud innovation ensures that the vision we had at RIFT will continue to be advanced and expanded through DZS Cloud. With some of the most innovative and advanced carriers in the world already DZS customers, we expect to find fertile ground among these operators to leverage the DZS Cloud platform to monetize their 5G and fixed network investments with high value enterprise services, private wireless / 5G as a service, Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), and SD-WAN through SDN and NFV automation.”

The RIFT acquisition comes on the heels of DZS recently acquiring Optelian, which closed February 8th, and follows the introduction of sdNOS, a modern SDN-enabled Network Operating System to unify the range of DZS networking products.

“The acquisition of RIFT will at once expand both the software portfolio and cloud-enabled delivery capabilities of DZS, enabling us to fully participate in the new paradigm of software-driven network automation, spanning physical, virtualized, and containerized domains,” said Andrew Bender, DZS CTO. “Our partnership with the RIFT team to date demonstrated the alignment of their vision with our commitment to open networks, customer choice, and a software-centric future for the network. We look forward to having this team in-house at DZS to help unlock the value of our global installed base with the power of intelligent automation, control, and analytics functions.”