15 Best Stocks to Buy for the Second Half of 2026

12. Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 73

Year-to-date return: 87.94%

On June 17, Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN)’s Blue Planet division introduced Blue Planet Configuration and Change Management (CCM). The firm reported AI-powered platform brings together device configuration and lifecycle management across multi-vendor networks. It also replaces fragmented tools and manual processes. The company said CCM provides live visibility into network activity, helping service providers reduce operational risk and strengthen the foundation for autonomous networking.

Robert Curran, consulting analyst at Appledore Research, said, “Auditability and explainability are essential elements” for autonomous networks because every network change carries execution and validation risks.

Blue Planet’s senior vice president and general manager Joe Cumello said the industry is moving toward AI-driven autonomous networks, but “autonomy requires governance, control, and traceability.” He said CCM with customer input includes AI agents for configuration drift detection, compliance validation, risk assessment, and lifecycle management to help operators automate network operations with greater confidence.

Ciena Corporation (NYSE:CIEN) is a network technology company. It works through Networking Platforms, Platform Software and Services, Blue Planet Automation Software and Services, and Global Services segments.

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