HP to buy ConteXtream for SDN/NFV top-up

HP is looking to beef up its service provider software-defined networking (SDN) footprint, with the acquisition of Comcast and Verizon-backed ConteXtream.

With SDN looking increasingly bedded down in the data centre, the carrier market is becoming the next battleground, with everyone from startups to big names looking for places to plant their flags.

ConteXtream is a combined SDN/network function virtualisation (NFV) player, with three streams in its product portfolio: ContexNet provides control/forwarding separation; ContexView provides the management glass; and ContexWare is a virtualised TCP optimisation environment.

Noting that ConteXtream was already a member of its OpenNFV program, HP's canned announcement picks out capabilities like service function chaining as reasons for the acquisition.

ConteXtream also brings a footprint in “a number of major carrier networks”, which HP will want to use as a door-opener for its OpenDaylight and other SDN offerings.

Co-founder and CEO Nachman Shelef will report to HP's NFV unit SVP Saar Gillai.

Enthusiasm for carrier SDN/NFV has been growing over the last year, with Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco and plenty of others letting strategies into the sunshine.

Intel turned heads by turning its eye the the sector, but the biggest endorsement so far in 2015 is probably Verizon kicking off a multi-year SDN rollout. ®