Riverbed redefines networking with Application-Defined SD-WAN Solution
Riverbed Technology has come up with SteelConnect, an SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network) solution that offers a radically new approach to networking for the cloud-era and simplifies the design, deployment and management of enterprise networks. It has also announced the availability of a new line of SteelHead SD models, which combine SteelConnect and SteelHead WAN optimisation into a streamlined, single-device solution.
“Organisations in India are under tremendous pressure to transform digitally and to deliver more agile, simple, scalable and cost-efficient services to their customers. Legacy approaches to networking - built long before the cloud formed - are hardware-centric, rigid, and error-prone; preventing businesses from moving forward and threatening investments in digital transformation and the cloud. SteelConnect represents a complete rethink of networking in the cloud era. It’s an application-defined networking solution that leverages Riverbed’s application DNA and integrates industry-leading visibility, to provide the agility, simplicity and speed enterprises need to manage today’s complex cloud and hybrid architectures,” said Nagendra Venkaswamy, Vice President, India and South Asia for Riverbed.
Networking built for the cloud
Networking needs the same agility that is provided by the cloud to deliver on the promised business outcomes. SteelConnect delivers this through a unique set of capabilities:
* Unified connectivity, single-click and instant provisioning into cloud networks - SteelConnect unify network connectivity and orchestration of application delivery across hybrid WANs (internet and MPLS), branch networks (LAN & WLAN), and cloud environments (IaaS & SaaS) such as AWS and Microsoft Azure – all through a complete line of WAN gateways, LAN switches, and Wi-Fi access points managed centrally from a cloud console.
* Business-aligned orchestration - Instead of managing networks through configuration of individual appliances, SteelConnect provides policy-based orchestration that is naturally aligned to the language and priorities of business: Applications, Users, Locations, Performance SLAs and Security requirements. An IT network architect can now easily set up global or local policies such as: send all video application traffic over the highest-capacity circuits; send software updates over Internet broadband circuits; or send all business traffic over secure VPNs. Previously network operators needed to enter hundreds or thousands of lines of CLI (command line interface) code to make network and application changes, which is both inefficient and prone to human error.
* Zero-touch provisioning - provides instant deployment of physical devices into a network. Central management of global network policies enables agile and efficient updates to support business requirements.
* Native routing - SteelConnect Gateways can be used in place of legacy branch routers to reduce the cost and complexity of managing connectivity to remote locations.
* Industry-leading visibility - SteelConnect provides complete visibility of all users and devices connected to a distributed network, and supports industry-leading NPM and APM capabilities from Riverbed SteelCentral natively integrated into the SteelConnect central management console. This empowers IT Managers to make informed policy and deployment decisions, monitor and troubleshoot performance issues, and plan for network changes regardless of whether the application’s performance is optimised across hybrid WANs, remote LANs or cloud networks.
In order to simplify large-scale global SD-WAN deployments, SteelConnect is also available for the data center via new SteelConnect SDI-5030 Data Center Gateway Appliances. While other SD-WAN solutions can require thousands of line of configuration updates and/or firmware upgrades to core data center routers, SteelConnect benefits from integration with the battle-tested Riverbed Interceptor appliance to non-disruptively integrate and orchestrate SD-WAN and WAN optimisation services into data center networks, with elastic scale and high-availability to support application delivery across thousands of remote locations.
Combining WAN-Optimisation and SD-WAN capabilities
Driven by customer demand, Riverbed also announced a new line of SteelHead SD models, combining industry-leading WAN optimisation alongside SteelConnect SD-WAN into a streamlined, first-of-its-kind single-device solution, delivering a simplified approach to cloud networking, superior app performance and cloud-grade network agility for the modern enterprise.
SteelConnect and SteelHead WAN optimisation work together seamlessly to exchange application identification and classification information to ensure an end-to-end application-centric solution across the network. This is in contrast to dual-vendor approaches where the fidelity of application identity is compromised as packets transmit between discrete network services.
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