Here’s my summary of recent, notable news in the SD-WAN, networking, cloud security, ML and partnership areas in November 2019. I’ve avoided injecting my own opinion to provide a quick and dense summary. Enjoy!
Overall pervasive trends:
- Machine learning
- Multi-cloud
- Zero trust
- Networking, security & cloud colliding
- Partnership integrations
News
- Microsoft Ignite announcements
- Focus on Machine Learning, Analytics & Multi-Cloud
- Azure Arc: multi-cloud management solution (control plane, including database services and querying, container & VM & Kubernetes management,…)
- Google Anthos is a competitor. AWS Outposts is their version although it doesn’t yet support Azure & Google (possible announcement at December’s ReInvent conference?)
- Azure Synapse Analytics: ML & analytics for data
- Project Cortex: applies ML to all documents to make it more accessible e.g. identify subject matter experts
- Endpoint Manager: to manage the PCs, laptops, phones and tablets
- Virtual WAN Partnerships
- 2018: Citrix, VMware/VeloCloud, Riverbed
- 2019: Silver Peak, CloudGenix, Nokia Nuage, Cisco (delivery targeted for Q1 2020)
- What's new in Azure Networking – VP, Azure Networking Yousef Khalidi
- Global transit network architectures with Azure Virtual WAN - Principal PM Reshmi Yandapalli
- VMworld Europe announcements
- Closer partnership integration with AWS & Azure
- SD-WAN – Azure integration increasing leveraging 1,000s of Cloud Gateways:
- VMware’s Network of Cloud Services partners include cloud security (Zscaler, Check Point, Menlo Security), cloud access security brokers, (Netskope), cloud mid-mile & core transit (Mode, Teridion), cloud analytics (SevOne, Plixer), Internet exchange services (Equinix)
- Project Tanzu: products & services built for Kubernetes
- Session recordings from August & October
- https://github.com/lamw/vmworld2019-session-urls/blob/master/vmworld-us-playback-urls.md
- Notable sessions:
- Future of SD-WAN and SDN (CNET4116BU)
- Networking and Security for the Cloud Era (NETS3413KU)
- Optimize and troubleshoot apps across NSX DC and SD-WAN (CNET1960BU)
- SD-WAN for Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud Platform (NEDG2617BU)
- Cisco Partner Summit announcements
- Managed Services partner portfolio: SD-WAN, cyber security, unified communications (UC)
- For channel partners: improved Cisco CX (Customer Experience) Lifecycle strategy (via DevNet)
- Meraki: new access switch & wireless WAN cellular gateway (Cradlepoint competitor), security enhancements
- SD-WAN revenues per IHS Markit
- Top six in order being VMware, Cisco, Aryaka, Fortinet, Silver Peak, Nokia Nuage (note: Cisco’s SD-WAN revenues are likely underreported due to their standard way of reporting, Aryaka is not a traditional SD-WAN solution but rather a SD-Core solution)
- Cloud Growth
- From recent earnings announcements AWS 35% $9B, Azure 59% (while Azure is 2nd in market share, Microsoft doesn’t report the separate Azure revenues)
- Pensando Systems
- Announced C round funding for a total of a paltry $278 raised and deployed customers. Led by Mario Mazzola, Luca Cafiero, Prem Jain, and Soni Jiandani (aka. MPLS) with Chairman of the Board being John Chambers. Backers include HPE, Oracle, NetApp, Equinix and Goldman Sachs.
- They’ve created a custom chip on a card that plugs into pervasive servers speeding up the processing of "edge services"
- Competitors are AWS (they claim faster custom processing for apps) and replacing security appliances (e.g. firewalls, VPNs, load balancers)
- Traditionally MPLS look to “spin-in” to Cisco, as they did repeatedly, however after leaving Cisco en masse and now taking on HPE as an investor the speculation is they’re looking for a non-Cisco, deep-pocket exit like HPE, Microsoft, Google, VMware, Arista, Juniper, Oracle,…
- Volterra
- Start-up announced $50M funding & 30 customers
- SaaS-based management & security solution for distributed data and applications residing in multiple clouds and edge locations.
- Aviatrix
- Announced raising $40M in Series C funding (totals $76M)
- The clear leader in the newly emerging multi-cloud networking & security solution space
- Investors include CRV, Formation 8, Ignition Partners, Liberty Global Ventures
- CEO Steve Mullaney was the Nicira CEO, that was sold to VMware to spawn NSX. Most recently they've been building out the team including hiring Sales Head James Winebrenner (from Cisco SDWAN/Viptela) and COO John Jendricks (from VMware).
- Multi-cloud is a strongly recurring requirement in any recent enterprise customers survey. While cloud companies would naturally be attracted to acquiring Aviatrix, that would presumably kill that selling point for their customer base. Therefore, an eventual acquisition candidate is more likely to come from the networking or security spaces.
- Digital Reality launches PlatformDigital
- Data center interconnection competitor with Equinix announced new solution focused on addressing "data gravity"
- Data gravity is the challenge of disparate, distributed corporate data, apps and services (in separate data centers, clouds, and edge locations). Their solution intelligently brings the users, clouds and data control together.
- Partnerships include Megaport, Cisco (NFV, switching fabric, VNFs, firewall), IBM (cloud & SP partners, Watson, blockchain), Vapor IO (SDN)
- Traditionally Equinix leads in retail colocation and Digital Realty in wholesale, and with this move Digital Realty will be increasing competition for the retail colo business.
Trends
- Secure Access Services Edge (SASE, pronounced “sassy”)
- Gartner identified the new solution area in July
- Apps, services and data are moving from data center to the cloud.
- Combines networking & security together: An identity is attached to every person/user, application, service, or device within an organization. Multifactor authentication is applied to applications and services access
- It requires integrated, cloud-native set of services to be delivered on demand
- SD-WAN will enable SASE
- Primary benefit is agility and speed to deployment
- In infancy with 1% adoption. Companies that will compete include Cato Networks, Juniper, Fortinet, Versa and upcoming start-ups.
- Adoption & deployment is expected in the next 5 to 10 years
- Zero trust (aka Google’s "BeyondCorp”)
- Strategy not technology, combination of identity, endpoint and networks security to enact user-based access
- Based upon numerous high-profile security breaches a singular firewall barrier approach will no longer work
- Vendors likely to capitalize
- Identity management solutions: CyberArk Software, Okta, ForgeRock (private), Ping Identity (private)
- Endpoint malware detection / security: Symantec (acquired Luminate Security), VMware Carbon Black, Guardian (private), CrowdStrike (private)
- Cybersecurity: Zscaler (ZS), Cyxtera Technologies (private), ForcePoint (private), Illumio (private), Vidder (private), Proofpoint (acquired Meta Networks)
- Firewalls (may or may not benefit): Palo Alto Networks, Cisco, Fortinet
- Recent Security & Networking partnerships
- Palo Alto Networks with VMware and Aryaka
- Menlo Security with VMware
- Palo Alto Networks with Citrix
On a personal note, Silicon Valley Technology Alliances LLC (http://www.svtechalliances.com/) was established in
mid-September and the first clients are:
- ENEA Qosmos (deep packet inspection & traffic classification software & probe leader)
- Viavi Solutions (Observer network management division, top vendor in Gartner Network Performance Monitoring & Diagnostics Magic Quadrant)
If anyone’s interested in partnering or sales with either of
the above companies please contact me.
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