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Revenue
 12 Months Ended
Oct. 31, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
REVENUE REVENUEDisaggregation of Revenue
Ciena’s disaggregated revenue represents similar groups that depict the nature, amount, and timing of revenue and cash flows for Ciena’s various offerings. The sales cycle, contractual obligations, customer requirements, and go-to-market strategies may differ for each of its product categories, resulting in different economic risk profiles for each category.

The tables below set forth Ciena’s disaggregated revenue for the respective period (in thousands):
Year Ended October 31, 2020
Networking PlatformsPlatform Software and ServicesBlue Planet Automation Software and ServicesGlobal ServicesTotal
Product lines:
Converged Packet Optical
$2,547,647 $— $— $— $2,547,647 
Packet Networking
267,416 — — — 267,416 
Platform Software and Services
— 197,809 — — 197,809 
Blue Planet Automation Software and Services
— — 62,632 — 62,632 
Maintenance Support and Training
— — — 269,354 269,354 
Installation and Deployment
— — — 152,003 152,003 
Consulting and Network Design
— — — 35,296 35,296 
Total revenue by product line
$2,815,063 $197,809 $62,632 $456,653 $3,532,157 
Timing of revenue recognition:
Products and services at a point in time
$2,815,063 $69,099 $19,583 $14,363 $2,918,108 
Products and services transferred over time
— 128,710 43,049 442,290 614,049 
Total revenue by timing of revenue recognition
$2,815,063 $197,809 $62,632 $456,653 $3,532,157 

Year Ended November 2, 2019
Networking PlatformsPlatform Software and ServicesBlue Planet Automation Software and ServicesGlobal ServicesTotal
Product lines:
Converged Packet Optical
$2,562,841 $— $— $— $2,562,841 
Packet Networking
348,477 — — — 348,477 
Platform Software and Services
— 155,376 — — 155,376 
Blue Planet Automation Software and Services
— — 54,555 — 54,555 
Maintenance Support and Training
— — — 261,337 261,337 
Installation and Deployment
— — — 148,233 148,233 
Consulting and Network Design
— — — 41,312 41,312 
Total revenue by product line
$2,911,318 $155,376 $54,555 $450,882 $3,572,131 
Timing of revenue recognition:
Products and services at a point in time
$2,911,318 $55,530 $17,697 $18,802 $3,003,347 
Products and services transferred over time
— 99,846 36,858 432,080 568,784 
Total revenue by timing of revenue recognition
$2,911,318 $155,376 $54,555 $450,882 $3,572,131 

Effective the beginning of fiscal 2020, Ciena’s Global Sales and Marketing organization combined its previous North America and CALA regions into a new “Americas” sales region. Accordingly, Ciena reflects its sales geographically around the following markets: (i) Americas; (ii) EMEA; and (iii) APAC. Within each geographic area, Ciena maintains specific teams or personnel that focus on a particular region, country, customer or market vertical. These teams include sales management, account salespersons and sales engineers, as well as services professionals and commercial management personnel.
For the periods below, Ciena’s geographic distribution of revenue was as follows (in thousands):
Year Ended
 October 31, 2020November 2, 2019
Geographic Distribution:
Americas$2,469,278 $2,503,913 
EMEA
591,468 566,718 
APAC
471,411 501,500 
Total revenue by geographic distribution
$3,532,157 $3,572,131 

•Networking Platforms revenue reflects sales of Ciena’s Converged Packet Optical and Packet Networking product lines.
•Converged Packet Optical - includes the 6500 Packet-Optical Platform, Waveserver® stackable interconnect system, the 6500 Reconfigurable Line System (RLS) and the 5400 family of Packet-Optical Platforms. This product line also includes sales of the Z-Series Packet-Optical Platform.
•Packet Networking - includes the 3000 family of service delivery switches and service aggregation switches and the 5000 family of service aggregation switches. This product line also includes the 8700 Packetwave Platform, the Ethernet packet configuration for the 5410 Service Aggregation Switch, and the 6500 Packet Transport System (PTS), which combines packet switching, control plane operation, and integrated optics.
The Networking Platforms segment revenue also includes sales of operating system software and enhanced software features embedded in each of the product lines above. Revenue from this segment is included in product revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Operating system software and enhanced software features embedded in Ciena hardware are considered distinct performance obligations for which the revenue is generally recognized upfront at a point in time upon transfer of control.

•Platform Software and Services provides analytics, data, and planning tools to assist customers in managing Ciena’s Networking Platforms products in their networks. Ciena’s platform software includes its Manage, Control and Plan (MCP) domain controller solution, OneControl Unified Management System, as well as planning tools and a number of legacy software solutions that support our installed base of network solutions. Platform software-related services revenue includes sales of subscription, installation, support, and consulting services related to Ciena’s software platforms, operating system software and enhanced software features embedded in each of the Networking Platforms product lines above. Revenue from the software portion of this segment is included in product revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Revenue from services portions of this segment is included in services revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

•Blue Planet Automation Software and Services is a comprehensive, micro-services, standards-based open software suite, together with related services, that enables customers to implement large-scale software and IT-led OSS transformations by transforming legacy networks into “service ready” networks, accelerating the creation, delivery and lifecycle management of new, cloud-based services. Ciena’s Blue Planet Automation Platform includes multi-domain service orchestration (MDSO), inventory management (BPI), route optimization and analysis (ROA), network function virtualization orchestration (NFVO), and unified assurance and analytics (UAA). Services revenue includes sales of subscription, installation, support, consulting and design services related to Ciena’s Blue Planet Automation Platform. Revenue from the software portion of this segment is included in product revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Revenue from services portions of this segment is included in services revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Ciena’s software platform revenue typically reflects either perpetual or term-based software licenses, and these sales are considered a distinct performance obligation where revenue is generally recognized upfront at a point in time upon transfer of control. Revenue from software subscription and support are recognized ratably over the period during which the services are performed. Revenue from professional services for solution customization, software and solution support services, consulting and design, and build-operate-transfer services relating to Ciena’s software offerings are recognized over time with Ciena applying the input method to determine the amount of revenue to be recognized in a given period.
•Global Services reflects sales of a broad range of Ciena’s services for maintenance support and training, installation and deployment, and consulting and network design activities. Revenue from this segment is included in services revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Ciena’s Global Services are considered a distinct performance obligation where revenue is generally recognized over time. Revenue from maintenance support is recognized ratably over the period during which the services are performed. Revenue from installation and deployment services and consulting and network design services are recognized over time with Ciena applying the input method to determine the amount of revenue to be recognized in a given period. Revenue from training services is generally recognized at a point in time upon completion of the service.

Contract Balances
The following table provides information about receivables, contract assets and contract liabilities (deferred revenue) from contracts with customers (in thousands):
Balance at October 31, 2020Balance at November 2, 2019
Accounts receivable, net$719,405 $724,854 
Contract assets for unbilled accounts receivable$85,843 $84,046 
Deferred revenue$158,363 $156,873 

Our contract assets represent unbilled accounts receivable where transfer of a product or service has occurred but invoicing is conditional upon completion of future performance obligations. These amounts are primarily related to installation and deployment and professional services arrangements where transfer of control has occurred, but Ciena has not yet invoiced the customer. Contract assets are included in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 10 below.

Contract liabilities consist of deferred revenue and represent advanced payments against non-cancelable customer orders received prior to revenue recognition. Ciena recognized approximately $101.9 million and $95.1 million of revenue during fiscal 2020 and 2019, respectively, that was included in the deferred revenue balance at November 3, 2019 and November 4, 2018, respectively. Revenue recognized due to changes in transaction price from performance obligations satisfied or partially satisfied in previous periods was immaterial during fiscal 2020 and 2019.

Capitalized Contract Acquisition Costs

Capitalized contract acquisition costs consist of deferred sales commissions and were $15.3 million and $15.7 million as of October 31, 2020 and November 2, 2019, respectively, and are included in other current assets and other assets. The amortization expense associated with these costs was $22.4 million and $18.6 million during fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019, respectively, and are included in sales and marketing expense.

Remaining Performance Obligations
Remaining Performance Obligations (“RPO”) are comprised of non-cancelable customer purchase orders for products and services that are awaiting transfer of control for revenue recognition under the applicable contract terms. As of October 31, 2020, the aggregate amount of RPO was $1.0 billion. As of October 31, 2020, Ciena expects approximately 81% of the RPO to be recognized as revenue within the next twelve months.