OpenDaylight Project Announces New Executive Director

Nicolas “Neela” Jacques joins OpenDaylight from VMware to oversee the world’s largest developer-driven open source SDN and NFV project

SAN FRANCISCO, November 12, 2013 – The OpenDaylight Project, a community-led and industry-supported open source platform to advance Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), today announced that Nicolas “Neela” Jacques is joining as executive director.

Jacques will work with the OpenDaylight community to advance SDN and NFV with a developer-driven open source platform for products and technologies that expand the intelligence, programmability and performance of network infrastructures. He will oversee and provide guidance for all aspects of the project, from governance and technology to community and marketing, and will report to the OpenDaylight board of directors.

Formerly at VMware, Jacques was part of the core team that took virtualization from a niche development and testing product to ubiquitous use. He developed and took to market the company’s software-defined data center vision and strategy including VMware’s vCloud Suite. Jacques also founded and launched VMware's first cloud computing initiative in 2007. Prior to VMware, Jacques was a consultant with Bain & Company. He received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with High Honors and a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University.

“Networking is key to getting a more efficient and automated data center. SDN represents that last mile for virtualization, and open source software and collaborative development is going to get us there,” said Neela Jacques, executive director at the OpenDaylight Project. “The OpenDaylight Project is driven by developers who are leading the way in innovation for the future of networking and delivering the promise of SDN and NFV. I’m excited to join the project and contribute to this important, groundbreaking work.”

“The OpenDaylight Project is doing what open source software projects do best - advancing technologies that move markets forward,” said Inder Gopal, OpenDaylight board chair. “Neela’s experience as a networking industry veteran and expert will be an important asset for the OpenDaylight community as it sprints toward delivering its first code release in December.”

The expansion of data centers and rise of cloud computing in the enterprise coupled with rapidly changing demands on service provider networks is driving companies to look to software-defined solutions to help improve network performance and management, lower costs and increase efficiencies. SDN and NFV can enable organizations to achieve these goals through speedy delivery of new cloud, big data, social business and mobile services.

OpenDaylight is a developer-driven, open platform for network programmability that is enabling SDN and creating a solid foundation for NFV for networks at any size and scale. The first code release, called Hydrogen, is due in December and is expected to be a common, widely supported SDN and NFV platform. It will include a consistent set of APIs, systemic behaviors and an ecosystem of applications and supporting technologies that are expected to increase interoperability and ease deployments.

Those who are interested in collaborating on OpenDaylight and shaping the future of networking can learn more here: http://www.opendaylight.org/developers/how-participate.

About the OpenDaylight Project
The OpenDaylight Project is a collaborative open source project that aims to accelerate adoption of software-defined networking (SDN) and create a solid foundation for Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) for a more transparent approach that fosters new innovation and reduces risk. Founded by industry leaders and open to all, the OpenDaylight community is developing a common, open SDN and NFV platform consisting of code and blueprints. Get involved: www.opendaylight.org.

OpenDaylight is a Collaborative Project at The Linux Foundation. Linux Foundation Collaborative Projects are independently funded software projects that harness the power of collaborative development to fuel innovation across industries and ecosystems. www.linuxfoundation.org

Additional Resources
●Video: Introducing The OpenDaylight Project
Developers: How to Participate
OpenDaylight Blog
OpenDaylight Events

# # #

Media Inquires
Melissa Logan
OpenDaylight Project
pr@opendaylight.org