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Company Commits to Significant Investment in Software, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence to Enable the Autonomous Enterprise

SAN JOSE, Calif., April, 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Deloitte, advanced networking is the unsung hero of our digital future. The connectivity of tomorrow must provide new capabilities to support differentiated, fit-for-purpose networking for devices and applications. Setting a vision for what comes next, Extreme Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXTR) today announced investments in software automation, and AI to help customers take the next step in their digital transformation efforts, and become an autonomous enterprise. From telemedicine in healthcare to electronic shelf labeling in retail to digital learning in schools, Extreme aims to transform the network from a binary utility into a powerful engine that automatically and intelligently connects people to technology, freeing IT professionals in every industry to reimagine their business and create meaningful outcomes that improve the human experience like never before.

For digitization to be fully realized, organizations must have an agile, adaptive, and secure network, a software-driven approach, and human intelligence underpinning the entire business. That's why Extreme is investing 95 percent of its research and development dollars into software and AI this year to expand the automation capabilities across our Smart OmniEdge™, Automated Campus™, and Agile Data Center™ solutions, creating a secure, self-healing, self-driving network—from the enterprise edge to the cloud—with the following attributes:

• Open and standards-based ecosystem – so customers can build the exact architecture and applications they require to fulfill the specialized demands of their enterprise.
• Cross-domain and closed-loop automation– so customers can optimize network performance from the end device to the application server.
• Software-driven infrastructure, augmented with machine learning and AI– so customers can easily respond to bandwidth demands and user behavior, ensuring end users get the experience they need, when they need it.
• Insights and analytics – so customers can track behavior of applications, users and IoT devices in real-time; identify anomalous behavior, and automatically resolve issues without human intervention.

Each attribute is supported by intrinsic security, so customers can protect their business at its most fundamental level – the network.

Extreme is also investing in its engineering and development facilities located around the world and taking a leadership role in open source standards development for SDN implementations, working with organizations like the Open Networking Foundation on the Stratum project.

Combined with its collaborative, customer-driven approach, Extreme brings IT practitioners in every industry the freedom to challenge the status quo, to connect with patients, students, customers, and clients in new exciting ways. Ultimately, Extreme provides IT practitioners with the freedom to leverage their network, apps, and devices to do what they came here to do – elevate the human experience.

Executive Perspectives:

Ed Meyercord, President and CEO, Extreme Networks

"At Extreme, our commitment is serving and empowering customers, but we also see a responsibility to challenge ourselves and the industry to advance what 'networking' means.

By offering new sources of automation and intelligence, we're giving customers the tools they need to automate routine networking tasks, and the freedom to create compelling new experiences that increase efficiencies, improve competitive advantage and, in some cases, change lives. The businesses of the future are being built today – and they are customers of Extreme Networks."

Gilles Hug, Head of Corporate IT Infrastructure, ArcelorMittal

"ArcelorMittal is the leading provider of steel products in the world, and demand shows no signs of slowing. Our headquarters in Luxembourg and two strategic hubs in Brussels and London are absolutely critical to our continued success in Europe and beyond. To meet sustained demand in the market and improve operational efficiencies, we are undertaking a digital transformation process with the support of Extreme Networks. This has allowed us to leverage automation in our network to a far greater degree, freeing up resources to pursue new revenue-generating projects that will help meet the needs of our customers in the European automotive, manufacturing and construction industries."

Martin Reidy, Operations Manager, Waterman

"Co-working spaces are service-oriented by nature, so it takes more to stand out. At our five co-working facilities in Melbourne, we partnered with Extreme to automate almost every aspect of our network to ensure our members get everything they need quickly and reliably, improving our competitive position and allowing us to focus on innovating to develop compelling new services. This has helped to drive membership and create seamless, zero-touch IT experiences for existing members."

Mike Lloyd, Chief Information Officer, University of Central Arkansas

"At the University of Central Arkansas, we're committed to providing students a modern educational experience that empowers them to succeed after graduation, which is why we started the Arkansas Coding Academy to teach students the critical skills needed to excel in IT industries. It's Extreme's leading-edge architecture and automation capabilities that power the academy to provide immersive, hands-on learning, and thus helps us fulfill our mission to create the richest education possible."

Rohit Mehra, Vice President of Network Infrastructure, IDC

"The network has traditionally been seen as an IT support function, providing connectivity to users, devices and IT infrastructure — seen by many as "plumbing". That notion is both antiquated, and false, given the intricacies of what modern cloud and IoT applications require in an enterprise context. Today's vision of the network is that of a secure, application services and connectivity platform that can help optimize the user and application experience across healthcare, education, hospitality, manufacturing and other domains. Extreme's focus on automation is relevant, and timely, as organizations look to network transformation as a foundation to build on for their digital transformation journey."