🥇Deal: VMware acquires a 'cloud' startup

Discussing the software developer deal for virtualization and Avi Networks.

/ фото Samuel Zeller Unsplash

What you need to know

In June, VMware announced the acquisition of the startup Avi Networks. It specializes in developing tools for deploying applications in multi-cloud environments. It was founded in 2012 by former Cisco executives — former vice presidents and directors from various business divisions of the company.

The products of this startup are used by companies from different countries and of various sizes, including those from the Fortune 500 list — Deutsche Bank, Adobe, Telegraph Media Group, Palo Alto Networks, and indeed, VMware.

The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of the 2020 financial year. It is estimated that the deal will exceed $115 million — the total amount of investments, raised by Avi Networks. The company has been supported by organizations and funds such as Cisco, Greylock Partners, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

What technology is being acquired

The philosophy of Avi Networks is that the principles of working with applications in private and public clouds should not differ. Companies need to be able to migrate a virtual machine from one data center to another, regardless of the underlying IT infrastructure solutions. For migration between clouds, they developed an Application Delivery Controller (ADC). The system is deployed in the data center network between the firewall and application servers. It balances traffic and protects services during migration between clouds. Developers

, claim that preparation for relocation is 90% faster compared to what analogs can offer. sayAdditionally, the ADC is responsible for performance monitoring, reporting, and service discovery in the data center. The Avi Networks system

is suitable for operation in data centers, public clouds, containerized and virtual environments, as well as bare metal. RESTful APIs are used for integration with the data center network infrastructure. What are the benefits for clients

One of the goals pursued by VMware is to expand the technology stack. Thus, several components of Avi Networks, in particular, the load balancer, will be integrated into VMware NSX — the platform for virtualizing corporate data center networks. It

addresses solves traffic switching, routing, and security tasks. NSX creates logical segments in the data center (down to the level of individual workloads) and allows for customized security policies for each segment. In VMware note, the integration of Avi Networks and NSX will reduce response times to cyber threats and help in preventing them.

There is an opinion that the integration will also simplify the application deployment process on the platform Workspace ONE by VMware (a service for managing applications and networks). However, the Avi Networks solution will also be available as a standalone ADC product for load balancing and data center application protection — functioning as a WAF (web application firewall).

/ фото Joshua Rondeau Unsplash

VMware representatives also say, that the deal will help develop the Virtual Cloud Network direction, simplify software-defined network management, and enhance the security of distributed services. Last year, the company already updated its line of solutions for multi-cloud networks and SD-WAN, so Avi Networks products will open new opportunities for the company's clients in automated device and network management in data centers.

What other deals have occurred

This is not VMware's first deal related to SD-WAN and software solutions for data centers. Last year, VMware acquired the company VeloCloud. It offers a system for securing network connections in unstable networks. Special routers are installed around the perimeter of segments (for example, data centers). They automatically balance load and monitor connections. This approach makes the network more efficient and flexible. This technology was actively discussed at the VMware EMPOWER 2019 conference. We spoke about it here and here.

In the SD-WAN field, it's worth noting another deal. Last month, the telecommunications company Extreme Networks, which is involved in the development of Ethernet standards, announced the acquisition of Aerohive, a manufacturer of networking equipment, for $272 million. At Extreme Networks, they hope to expand their portfolio and attract new clients through Wi-Fi technologies and software-defined networks that are being developed at Aerohive. The deal will close around the same time as VMware with Avi Networks.

Experts say that all these projects (and similar ones) will contribute to the active development of data center technologies and the cloud sector as a whole.

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Source: habr.com