EXFO introduces EXFO Connect to help accelerate network deployments, reduce expenses

EXFO Inc. has launched EXFO Connect, a suite of cloud-based software applications designed to interoperate with EXFO's established base of smart test platforms.

EXFO Connect helps network operators deal with the increasing complexity of network deployments and maintenance, while facing the growing pressure to accelerate and reduce the cost of such deployments.

EXFO Connect initially offers two core applications designed around the specific needs of installation and maintenance teams looking to reduce the operational costs of managing test equipment and to maximize the value of their test results.

The first application, Test Equipment Manager, addresses challenges that network operators face as they need to manage large pools of test equipment in the field on a daily basis. Test Equipment Manager provides EXFO smart test platforms with automatic software upgrades, instrument maintenance, distribution of test configurations, and accurate asset inventory to ensure process compliance and that all configurations are up-to-date and consistent throughout the entire equipment pool.

The second application, Test Data Manager, allows customers to take advantage of the investment they made in generating test data by providing an automated, secure, and centralized environment to view or generate reports on historical test data quickly and efficiently. Delivered as a cloud-based software service, EXFO Connect simplifies implementation and eliminates the need for local server installation or maintenance.

"Network operator executives and managers worldwide have come to EXFO to help solve their most critical issue—increasing network capacity to meet explosive bandwidth demands while reducing operating expenses, eliminating unnecessary truck rolls and minimizing training time," says Germain Lamonde, EXFO's chairman, president, and CEO. "Our response has been two-fold. First, to bring an ecosystem of smart, Windows-based, modular test platforms (FTB-1, FTB-200 and FTB-500) that evolve with future operators' needs by running generic or specific software applications. Second, to connect these smart platforms together through the revolutionary EXFO Connect solution to address a number of specific productivity issues, automation requirements, remote test applications and customer support issues."

"The end-result is that through EXFO Connect, EXFO is transforming simple test boxes into an integrated series of solutions that help network operators increase operating efficiency and reduce operating expenses by delivering automation and intelligence to the test and measurement components of their operations," says Lamonde.