Solutions

Polatis is focused on delivering the most cost-effective solutions for optical layer connectivity possible. With the availability of next generation switching technologies, and enhanced features such as integrated optical monitoring and attenuation, the economics have shifted to supporting reconfiguration in the optical layer domain in many applications.

Polatis is bringing solutions to users in the instrumentation and test market, providing flexible optical connectivity between devices, with the minimum of physical impairments, to enhance productivity and reduce cost of test solutions. Polatis is also developing carrier-class transport and switching solutions, using Polatis' optical switch subsystem to deliver cost-effective wavelength-layer management for optical networking applications for SONET, WDM, IP, and other networks. Users in the government and defense industries have successfully used the Polatis products in a variety of both traditional and ground-breaking applications.

Polatis brings value to its customers through its standard hardware and software products, and through custom solutions and services to meet unique customer needs. The Professional Services Group provides services beyond the exceptional support already offered, including specialized training, field support, and solutions integration, all designed to meet a specific customer's needs. The Custom Solutions Group can provide a range of custom solutions, from simple configuration changes to new product design.

Technology and Products

Polatis has developed all of its hardware products on a common technology platform – DirectLight. DirectLight is a proprietary beam-steering methodology, using solid-state mechanics for precision tuning of optics. This unique technology is capable of delivering cost and performance advantages over other switching technologies. Unique to DirectLight, is the ability to provide other highly integrated optical functions, including monitoring and attenuating. In contrast, 3D MEMS technologies are unable to offer the level of performance, or the level of integration & features.

Polatis has developed a broad series of products upon the DirectLight platform. At the center of its product line, is a series of non-blocking, fully transparent switches, agnostic to both bit-rate and protocol. Offered as a full system solution for instrumentation users, DirectLight provides a powerful combination of multiple functions with extremely high optical performance. For its communications and data network customers, Polatis offers cost-effective card-mount and module subsystems for integration into switching and transport platforms as a wavelength or fiber layer switch. Defense users can take advantage of rack-based systems or modules with extended operating range, environmentally hardened for specific military applications.

Markets

Polatis has demonstrated strong ROI for its optical-layer products in numerous industries: defense, government, academic & research institutions, telecommunications carriers and equipment manufacturers, business continuity services, MSOs, and more.

Instrumentation and test: Use of optical switches in test & measurement represents a fundamental shift in the way capital equipment is deployed to enable more efficient development, testing, and deployment of systems and networks. This shift is taking place across the data, storage and communications industries from component-level product development and test, to full system test and network commissioning. Polatis is uniquely positioned to address this $200M (2008) market through its instrument grade performance, and proprietary VOA and power meter enhanced features.

Wavelength Management in Optical Transport: As part of the recovery in network equipment sales, adoption of optical switching (and other tunable components) will become one of the fastest growing segments. Optical switching brings real operational savings to carriers through remote configuration of optical transport add/drop, and substantial equipment savings through optical bypass in grooming locations (avoiding OEO regeneration). The flexible Polatis series of telecom products supports Metro and Long Haul transport and switching applications, IP over optical, and GMPLS-based meshed architectures.

Network Monitoring: Once a $300M market in 2001, the network monitoring segment had declined in post-2001. Spurred by rapid growth in deployment for fiber in access networks, the need for monitoring and management of the optical layer has once more become critical. The Polatis switch provides access to fiber for parametric and service-layer measurements, with an unprecedented dynamic range due to the extremely low insertion loss. In addition to advanced monitoring for SONET/SDH networks, Polatis has solutions that will be strategic in FTTx/PON access networks.

Defense Applications: Rapid growth is occurring in a variety of defense and government segments, including secure communications networks, mobile communication systems, RF switching, and satellite systems. The Polatis platform is unique in its lack of susceptibility to intrusion - zero optical tap means no EMI signal signature, and the essentially non-existent optical signal crosstalk ensure no unintended signal detection. Not relying on micro-mirrors for tunability, the Polatis platform is robust to harsh environments, and has been qualified for military application requiring extended operational range.

Video Distribution: As the industry moves toward higher bandwidth video content, copper-based distribution will not support even in