GRNET, the Greek National Research And Education Network, had the objective of upgrading their optical network to create a platform on which to pioneer network and computer technologies. They also wished to enable the development of innovative ICT applications for their constituents. Tasos Karaliotas talks to us about the needs of their network, and how working with Ribbon enabled them to achieve their goals.

SURFnet, the Dutch National Research and Education Network, wanted to expand network performance and reliability in order to exceed the expectation of their demanding connected institutions. Moreover, SURFnet wanted to introduce new capabilities to their network, for better efficiencies and performance. Ribbon helped by upgrading their optical backbone.

Some of the latest industry discussions relate to open optical systems. There is no question that open optical systems which decrease vendor dependence are possible. But there are a number of ways to implement open optical systems in the Research and Education sector, each with their own set of pros and cons. In this In this GÉANT webinar Ribbon explores the trade-offs of various options, in an NREN context and charts a path forward.