Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Juniper's Rami Rahim: Engineering Simplicity is the new mantra

The battle against complexity is the biggest problem facing networking today - and the biggest problem for the IT industry overall -- said Rami Rahim, CEO of Juniper Networks, at the company's NXTWORK event in Las Vegas.

Engineering simplicity is now "the guiding star" for everything going on inside the company, according to Rahim, because otherwise the transition to multicloud networking will be choked by the overlapping systems policies and management frameworks.

Rahim described the industry transition from the Scale-up Era of the late 90s, to the Scale-out Era that powered Web 2.0, to the emerging Multicloud Era.

The scale-out architecture was successful in many regards but the sheer number of elements in the network brought reliability challenges because mean time between failure (MTBF) rates meant that something could break every day. Software-defined networking helped solve this issue, but now automation tools are needed to manage the complexity.

Hyperscale cloud providers have the resource to build and deploy automation, but enterprises need them as well. The multicloud era means that operations may reside across many domains with separate management. Getting past this roadblock requires deep visibility and automation. The goal must be to operate networks with the least amount of human interaction possible.

Juniper is proposing a 5-step journey to multicloud.


Juniper's answer for simplifying cloud automation is its Contrail Enterprise Multicloud solution.

"It's not about building better networks, it's about making networking better," said Rahim.

Bikash Koley, Juniper's CTO talked about the architecture for unifying the company's solutions for the multicloud era, including its Contrail framework, Junos OS, and a new "ATOM" API stack for integrating telemetry and intent.



Juniper revs new Ethernet switches for the multicloud world

Juniper Networks introduced a new line of Ethernet switches designed for the new era of multicloud networking, where the assumption that distributed enterprises will access resources from multiple data centers is a reality.

The rollout includes new switches for the enterprise data center, campus, and branch, as well as a new cloud-based management platform called Sky Enterprise. Junos remains central to all of the new products and the rest of the existing switching portfolio.

“The promise of multicloud is to deliver an infrastructure that is secure, ubiquitous, reliable and fungible and where the migration of workloads will be a simple and intuitive process,” said Bikash Koley, chief technology officer at Juniper Networks. “For IT to be successful in becoming multicloud-ready, it is critical organizations consider not only the data center and public cloud, but also the on-ramps of their campus and branch networks. Otherwise, enterprises will face fractured security and operations as network boundaries prevent seamless, end-to-end visibility and control.”

Highlights of the announcement include:

  • new QFX10002-60C "universal" switchfor data center spine, data center edge and data center interconnect (DCI).  It features 60x100 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) deep-buffer interfaces. 
  • new QFX5210-64C 64x100GbE port spine switch
  • new QFX5200-48Y 48x25GbE top-of-rack switch
  • new QFX MACsec line card addition for the QFX10000 modular switches. This card provides 30-port 100GbE connectivity for encrypted traffic in and between data centers.
  • Juniper Sky Enterprise - a cloud management service that enables operators to deploy, configure and manage switching and security devices, reducing change errors by up to 90 percent. Sky Enterprise also gives network operators visibility into wireless access points using Aerohive Hive Manager NG API integration.
  • New EX2300 and EX4300 compact switches for campus networks. The EX4300 multigig switch supports POE++ for new applications and MACsec to enable a secure on-ramp to the cloud. The EX9250 switch is a compact campus core that gives enterprises multiple fabric options by supporting both Junos Fusion and EVPN-VXLAN.
  • New NFX150 Network Services Platform for branch offices. This combines native branch security and hybrid WAN functionality with wireless 4G and LTE connectivity between branches. Built as an extensible platform, it can run third-party virtual network functions (VNFs).
  • Contrail SD-WAN with new subscription-based pricing: Juniper’s Contrail SD-WAN solution bundles the SRX Series Services Gateway and the NFX Series with the platform and orchestration software required for multicloud-ready SD-WAN. New subscription pricing bundles provide several physical and virtual endpoint options with secure SD-WAN management.  

Juniper and Nutanix expand partnership for multiclouds

Juniper Networks and Nutanix expanded their existing partnership with an aim on simplifying enterprise multicloud architectures.

The goal is better integration and automated management between network, security, compute and storage.

Specifically, Juniper’s Contrail Enterprise Multicloud will integrate with Nutanix APIs to provide enhanced network visibility for virtualized workloads, ultimately facilitating automated fabric management.

Additionally, Juniper’s Unified Cybersecurity Platform together with Nutanix’s software-defined networking offering, Flow, and AHV hypervisor, intends to secure applications with microsegmentation in enterprise cloud, as well as provide a hardened security posture that prevents lateral propagation of threats. Enterprises will be able to deploy the vSRX integrated virtual firewall in their Nutanix environment, extending the same capability across multicloud architectures with a single point of control using vSRX on-premises and in AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform.


“As enterprises race toward multicloud, they are burdened with complexities that arise during each stage of the journey. By integrating Contrail Enterprise Multicloud and Juniper’s Unified Cybersecurity Platform with Nutanix’s Enterprise Cloud, we are delivering an end-to-end secure and automated multicloud environment spanning compute, storage and networking for our customers,” said Bikash Koley, Chief Technology Officer, Juniper Networks. 

“The future of enterprise infrastructure is multi-cloud - that’s no longer up for debate. Networking shouldn’t be the complex burden holding companies back from this transition, and that’s why we’re so committed to working with our partners like Juniper to offer our joint customers seamless, secure networking fit for the multi-cloud world,” said Raja Mukhopadhyay, VP of Product Management, Nutanix

Implementing Multicloud - Bikash Koley explains

Juniper Networks is actively pursuing an enterprise multicloud strategy that it describes as a seachange for networking, but how is it actually implemented in its products?

Bikash Koley, CTO of Juniper, explains.

https://youtu.be/Jiap6F-NNF4





Nokia intros open and programmable access network slicing

Nokia introduced an open and programmable fixed access network slicing solution that partitions the fixed access network into autonomous slices and delivers for operators the Network-as-a-Service.

Nokia said its solution enables operators to scale to a virtually unlimited number of discrete network slices that can be independently operated, for example to run 5G mobile transport, wholesale or business services.

The new solution is built around Nokia's cloud-native software platform Altiplano and open standards.  It allows operators to establish full control and autonomy for each slice they manage, plus determine the performance metrics for the network and services they deliver to customers.

It uses open interfaces and YANG data models to create a virtual slice that looks, feels and operates just like a physical network.

Each service provider runs its own dedicated controller with a dedicated view of their slice of the network. This provides operators with the control and flexibility to deliver differentiated broadband services in a multi-vendor network environment.  Equipment from different vendors can sit alongside each other, in different slices or on the same slice. The solution also makes it easier to share the physical network by enabling operators to automate challenging processes such as rules, regulations and multi-vendor integration.

Nokia notes that has been actively involved in the work that led to the publication of TR-370 on Fixed Access Network Sharing (FANS) by the Broadband Forum and is currently involved in the specification of the YANG modules that are used to achieve FANS.

Federico Guillen, president of Nokia Fixed Networks, said: "I believe that virtual network slicing will form the basis for everything the fixed access industry does going forward.  It can provide a more elegant and powerful way to monetize ultra-broadband deployments, help accelerate the delivery of new services, spread investment risk, reduce complexity and unlock new business opportunities that allow service providers to better serve their end-customers."

https://onestore.nokia.com/asset/202253


Micron to invest $100 million in AI start-ups

Micron announced plans to invest up to $100 million in startups focused on artificial intelligence (AI), with twenty percent aimed at startups led by women and other underrepresented groups. The company has been investing in tech start-ups in its sector since 2006 via its Micron Ventures arm.

Micron will also offer a $1 million grant for universities and non-profit organizations to conduct research on AI.

"We are pleased to bring together the industry's brightest thinkers, researchers, innovators and technologists to discuss AI, machine learning and deep learning," said Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra. "These trends are at the heart of the biggest opportunities in front of us, and increasingly require memory and storage technologies to turn vast amounts of data into insights that accelerate intelligence."

The announcements were made at the inaugural Micron Insight 2018 event in San Francisco, which included leaders from Amazon, BMW, Google, Qualcomm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Visteon, along with author, cosmic explorer and MIT professor of physics, Max Tegmark.

http://bit.ly/MicronFoundation

ThousandEyes: Fortune 50 companies unprepared for DNS attack

A whopping 68 percent of the top 50 companies on the Fortune 500 rankings are not adequately prepared for the next major attack on the DNS, according to the results of the 2018 ThousandEyes Global DNS Performance Report, which also found similar vulnerability among 44 percent of the top 25 SaaS providers, as well as 72% of the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 100 companies.

Key findings of the 2018 ThousandEyes DNS Infrastructure Performance Report include:
Leading enterprises and SaaS providers remain needlessly vulnerable: DNS best practices are not widespread in major enterprises and SaaS providers, exposing them to severe risk and potentially making them vulnerable to the next attack such as Dyn experienced nearly two years ago.
Not every DNS infrastructure is created equal: DNS performance varies widely for public resolver providers and managed providers across regions and countries. Consideration for managed providers should be based on measured performance, rather than brand, or scope of global presence. 
Social and political systems create unpredictability: DNS performance variations correlate to countries known to interfere with Internet behavior, and controls over technology create risks for doing digital business in certain regions.

The 2018 ThousandEyes Global DNS Performance Report also provides an assessment of  DNS providers. Out of fifteen measured public DNS providers, newcomer Cloudflare was found to have overall fastest performance, followed by Google and OpenDNS, both of which improved over their performance in the 2017 ThousandEyes analysis. Top providers varied by region and country.

Performance highlights of the 2018 report include:

  • In the United States, Google was the top performer, followed by Cloudflare and OpenDNS. 
  • In the UK, Level 3 had the best performance, followed by Google and OpenDNS. 
  • In Japan, Cloudflare was the fastest performer, with Google in second and Neustar in third place. 

“Without DNS, there is no Internet. It's how users find a company’s apps, sites and services on the Internet. A DNS performance issue or attack can have a critical impact on customer experience, revenue, and brand reputation,” said Angelique Medina, senior product marketing manager at ThousandEyes. “The ThousandEyes report highlights vital insights that can help organizations design a more effective DNS infrastructure — because even the most basic DNS decisions can determine how a company’s application or service, and ultimately how their overall brand, is perceived.” 

The full 2018 ThousandEyes DNS Performance Report is available here.
https://www.thousandeyes.com/global-dns-performance-report

CNEX Labs raises $23M for SSD Controller architecture

CNEX Labs, a start-up developing a transformative architecture for solid state drive (SSD) controllers, raised over $23 million in Series D venture capital.

CNEX said its patented, ground-up redesign of traditional SSD controller architecture plus its turn-key SSD design capability allows customers to procure SSDs customized for their own needs, while reducing their exposure to the cyclical swings in SSD supply that have constrained business growth. The SSD controller technology includes a highly-programmable interface to NAND flash memory, allowing the same controller to work with multiple types of NAND; flexible Flash Translation Layer (FTL) control (either drive- or host-based), allowing easier optimization for different types of workloads; and proprietary hardware acceleration supporting key functions typically run on slower firmware. The company is based in San Jose, California.

The new funding was led by early investor Dell Technologies Capital (which also led CNEX’s Series A round). Strategic investors also include M12, Microsoft’s venture fund (which led CNEX’s Series C round), major semiconductor foundries, large storage and networking semiconductor companies and other new and existing strategic investors. Additional investors in this round include Sierra Ventures, Walden Venture Investments, Brightstone Venture Capital and others.

“CNEX Labs technology relieves customers from the mercy of a commoditized market and puts them back in control of their own destinies,” said CNEX Labs CEO and Co-Founder Alan Armstrong. “We are proud to have achieved such strong backing and validation from industry partners and investors.”

http://www.cnexlabs.com

Shasta Ventures adds execs from Symantec, Salesforce, InterWest

Shasta Ventures, an early-stage investor based in Menlo Park, California with more than $1 billion under management, announced three additions to its team: former Symantec General Manager Balaji Yelamanchili, Salesforce Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Izak Mutlu, and InterWest Board Partner Drew Harman.

“Balaji, Izak, and Drew are the dream team, joining us at a period of rapid growth,” said Shasta Managing Director and Partner Jason Pressman. “With the promotion of three partners and the addition of two new associates all within the last year, these new team members will be instrumental in helping us build our portfolio of SaaS, next-gen infrastructure, data intelligence, and security investments into world-class companies.”

Current Shasta enterprise software investments include Forbes 2018 Cloud 100 companies Anaplan and Canva, as well as SaaS 1000 Top Companies Highspot, LeanData, Leanplum, LiveIntent, Lucidworks, and Spiceworks and high-growth start-ups Scalyr and Sendbird. Earlier investments include Apptio (APTI: NASDAQ), the business management system of record for hybrid IT, Glint (acquired by LinkedIn), the people success platform, and Zuora (ZUO: NYSE), the leading cloud-based subscription management platform provider. Shasta’s security portfolio features Airspace Systems, Mocana, Stealth Security and Valimail, among others.

https://shastaventures.com

Intel Vision Accelerator targets AI inference on edge devices

Intel unveiled its family of Intel Vision Accelerator Design Products targeted at artificial intelligence (AI) inference and analytics performance on edge devices. Two acceleration solutions are being introduced: one that features an array of Intel Movidius vision processors and one built on the high-performance Intel Arria 10 FPGA.

The devices could be used to build vision-based AI accelerator cards that collect and analyze data right on edge devices for real-time decision-making. AI workloads are offloaded from the system CPU.

“Until recently, businesses have been struggling to implement deep learning technology. For transportation, smart cities, healthcare, retail and manufacturing industries, it takes specialized expertise, a broad range of form factors and scalable solutions to make this happen. Intel’s Vision Accelerator Design Products now offer businesses choice and flexibility to easily and affordably accelerate AI at the edge to drive real-time insights,” stated Jonathan Ballon, Intel vice president and general manager, Internet of Things Group

Intel said developers it is working with have achieved up to 9.6X times using accelerator cards powered by these devices.