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Avaya and FatPipe Networks revealed July 18 that they will combine expertise to build data center software-defined networking (SDN) and software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) packages into a single solution for networking and unified communications.
The two companies in a joint statement claimed that this will become the first pre-integrated SDN and SD-WAN enterprise solution of its kind. Most deployments like this are worked up as needed on an ad-hoc basis within IT departments.
FatPipe Networks, founded in 1989, develops wide-area network products to corporations and government offices. The company’s core technology is router clustering, which enables data transfer through multiple lines, multiple Internet service providers, and backbones over WANs with re-assembly of data streams.
The company’s products are used for secured Internet access, e-commerce strategies, virtual private networks, voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), and site-to-site failover for business continuity. Its spam control product, Spam Police, filters out undesirable emails. The company claims nine patents on its router-clustering technology. It also offers data security with encryption protocols.
Load-Balancing, Multi-Line WAN, Compression, Etc.
The Salt Lake City-based company’s products implement load balancing, multi-line WAN optimization, data compression, caching, data deduplication techniques and data protection.
Avaya, based in Santa Clara, Calif., specializes in Internet telephony, wireless data communications and CRM software and provides business communication solutions for customer and team engagement.
As Avaya’s only SD-WAN partner, FatPipe has integrated its SD-WAN hybrid networking products with the fabric-based Avaya SDN FxTM architecture featuring Avaya Fabric Connect, which already supports data centers and branch offices worldwide.
The Avaya SDN Fx architecture featuring Fabric Connect is based on OpenStack and OpenDaylight programming tools that invisibly and securely extend network-wide with a fully enabled edge for users and their applications. This simplified, agile network virtualization solution supports integrated Layer 2, Layer 3, IP routing and IP multicast services with sub-second recoveries for unified communication and customer experience management, while reducing operating costs and time to market.
Combination of Expertise Will Bring Speed, Agility to Networks
Together, FatPipe’s SD-WAN technology and Avaya SDN Fx are aimed at bringing agility across the entire network and providing a single source for a converged solution, Avaya Vice President and Chief Technologist Jean Turgeon said.
“Avaya’s SDN Fx enables geo-dispersed sites to inter-connect, but it needs to inter-operate with SD-WAN solutions to realize maximum efficiencies. FatPipe and Avaya are delivering the first fabric-enabled SD-WAN solution in the industry,” Turgeon said.
“Automatically detecting and re-routing a degrading WAN connection provides seamless failover of VOIP, video and data sessions, ensuring the reliable quality communications and uptime our customers require.”
IT researcher Gartner has reported that by 2019 more than 30 percent of the Ethernet switching networks installed in enterprise data centers will be modernized with Ethernet fabric architectures, up from less than 10 percent today (Gartner, “Magic Quadrant for Data Center Networking,” May 2016).
At the same time, 30 percent of enterprises will use SD-WAN products in all their branches, up from less than 1 percent today (Gartner, “Market Guide for Software-Defined WAN,” December 2015).
Gartner has recommended an integrated network fabric that not only delivers network services across physical and virtual networking, but also provides a unified management platform, and SD-WAN should be implemented as part of a comprehensive WAN architecture.