SANTA CLARA, Calif. and PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 10, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Foundry Networks(r), Inc. (Nasdaq:FDRY), a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today announced that LAIKA, Inc., a state-of-the-art feature film and animation studio owned by Nike's Philip Knight, standardized on Foundry's high performance 10 gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) switches and network management solution. By using Foundry's(tm) BigIron(r) RX, FastIron(r) SX, FastIron GS, IronPoint(tm) Wireless and IronView(r) Network Manager (INM) end-to-end, LAIKA is able to produce advanced high-definition computer generated, 2D/3D, motion graphics, and stop-motion animation at one location improving project time to completion.
Located in Portland, Ore., LAIKA is an entertainment and media studio specializing in animated feature films, television commercials, music videos, broadcast graphics and short films. Formerly known as Vinton Studios, LAIKA has a 30-year animation lineage. The studio has received two Academy Awards, 11 Primetime Emmys and numerous international accolades, including eleven CLIO Awards. LAIKA has multiple animated feature films in development. Currently in production is "Coraline," based on the international best-selling children's novel by Neil Gaiman. Adapted for the screen and directed by Henry Selick, "Coraline" boasts a voice cast headed by Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher. Additional films slated for development include "Jack & Ben" and "Here Be Monsters."
No stranger to the high-end feature film and editing industry, Foundry is the networking provider of choice for entertainment industry leaders like, Academy Award-winning Lucasfilm's Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) and Avid Technology, Inc., the world leader in digital nonlinear media creation.
"We consulted with several of the leading animation studios and were immediately directed towards Foundry Networks as their networking vendor of choice," said Alvaro Cubillas, vice president and head of Technology for LAIKA. "After evaluating Foundry's switching capabilities in our testing facility, it was clear that their 10 gigabit Ethernet BigIron RX backbone and FastIron switches should become the cornerstone of our networking infrastructure. The reliability and scalability Foundry delivers allows our artists and animators to focus on what is important: the stories and character performance."
Cubillas continued, "We are always transferring heavy amounts of data between servers making high performance computing networking absolutely essential for our business and project timeline."
"With the addition of LAIKA to our ever growing roster of animation and special effects studios, Foundry has established itself as the de facto standard for high-end computer generated image creation," said Bob Schiff, vice president and general manager for Foundry's Enterprise Business Unit. "Foundry's ability to deliver exceedingly high performance, scalability, reliability and support in various compact form factors has made us extremely successful with companies who require the best networking equipment available. We are thrilled to play a pivotal role in creating future blockbusters."
About LAIKA
LAIKA, Inc. is an entertainment and media company specializing in animated feature films, television commercials, music videos, broadcast graphics and short films. It is a dynamic community of filmmakers, designers and animators fueled by the vision of its owner and Chairman, Nike co-founder and chairman Philip H. Knight. The company, formerly known as Vinton Studios, was re-branded as LAIKA in 2005. For more information, visit www.laika.com.
About Foundry Networks
Foundry Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:FDRY) is a leading provider of high-performance enterprise and service provider switching, routing, security and Web traffic management solutions, including Layer 2/3 LAN switches, Layer 3 Backbone switches, Layer 4-7 application switches, wireless LAN and access points, metro and core routers. Foundry's customers include the world's premier ISPs, metro service providers, and enterprises, including e-commerce sites, universities, entertainment, health and wellness, government, financial and manufacturing companies. For more information about the company and its products, call 1.888.TURBOLAN or visit www.foundrynet.com.
The Foundry Networks, Inc. logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2756