Rami Rahim, CEO, Juniper Networks: All set to address the growing market around intent-based networking solutions
Juniper Networks, one of the world’s leading networking company, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Apstra, a well-known player in the space of intent-based networking and automated closed loop assurance.
Juniper’s strategy is to change the way networks are built, operated and secured in the cloud era by using AI-driven automation. Apstra accelerates this by combining next generation network automation based on an open, multivendor architecture with Juniper’s data centre networking portfolio based on Junos, the proven open, programmable and high-scale operating system for next generation data centers and cloud networks. The combined solution helps public and private cloud builders optimize operations for application experience as they accelerate on the path toward the self-driving network.
“Juniper’s data centre portfolio is consistently recognized by both analysts and customers as industry leading, with top marks for performance, scale, security and simplified operations through automation. Adding Apstra’s intent-based networking and automated closed loop assurance advances our vision to transform data center operations. With the combination of Juniper and Apstra, customers get the best infrastructure and fabric management with integrated design, deployment and automated root cause identification and remediation to satisfy any Data Center environment. This is networking for the modern cloud era”, said Rami Rahim, CEO, Juniper Networks.
David Cheriton, CEO and Co-Founder, Apstra, opined, “We founded Apstra to automate the data center as a holistic system from its initial design to all aspects of its operation and maintenance. Our automation allows valuable network engineers to focus on strategic issues and avoid spending time on network configuration and troubleshooting, particularly with the attendant risk of human error. Joining Apstra with Juniper’s strong reputation in networking and its commitment to open networking removes the long-standing tradeoff between manageability and vendor lock-in and advances the industry toward the true self-driving network”.
The Apstra solution does far more than automate repeated operations steps. With Apstra, architects describe how the data center should behave in terms of outcomes and the system implements and continuously assures that the network operations and experience match the intent. These capabilities make Apstra stand apart in providing proactive insights, along with automated root cause identification and remediation. While safeguarding the network, Apstra also enables self-service delivery, with its advanced automation accelerating time to market along with lowering data centre outages and OpEx.
The richness of intent-based operations from design to everyday management relies on the performance and programmability of the underlying infrastructure. Recognized as a leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Data Centre and Cloud Networking and The Forrester Wave: Open, Programmable Switches for a Businesswide SDN, Q3 2020, Juniper provides the industry’s most modern fabrics and 400G scalability with programmable access and real-time telemetry. Juniper switches, differentiated in their EVPN-VXLAN fabric capabilities, integrate to Apstra today to automatically deploy services and safely implement changes, advancing fabric management and simplified operations in the automated data center.
Zeus Kerravala, Founder & Principal Analyst, ZK Research, said, “Juniper continues to show strong commitment to the enterprise IT segment through both internal innovation and acquiring technology leaders to deliver powerful solutions and new business outcomes to their customers. As the industry transitions to new IT infrastructure focused on automated operations and optimized user experiences, Juniper has positioned themselves as a leading business and technology partner in the market”.
Qaisar
