Aviatrix pioneering cloud networking trends

The evolution of networking, the complexities of cloud environments and the strategic alliances shaping the future of infrastructure were all the buzz at the RSA Conference in San Francisco.

Aviatrix Systems Inc., in particular, has emerged as a leader helping companies to navigate the evolving landscape of cloud-centric IT infrastructure, including the convergence of cloud networking and security operations.

“The core that we serve is the networking team,” said Doug Merritt (pictured, left), chief executive officer of Aviatrix. “The base value comes with the fact that we are a legitimate data plane that is able to live in a multitude of different clouds. Whether it’s AppDev, DevOps, ITOps, SecOps, as soon as you get our technology in, they all get massive value. But the core is really that networking team.”

Merritt and Chris McHenry (right), vice president of product management at Aviatrix, spoke with Dave Vellante, theCUBE Research chief analyst, at the RSA Conference, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed Aviatrix’s role in shaping the future of cloud networking and security through integration and through the forging of strategic alliances. (* Disclosure below.)

Aviatrix CEO Doug Merritt and VP of product  management Chris McHenry talk networking and security integration.

The evolutionary leap: Cloud networking meets security operations

Reflecting on the trajectory of networking over the past five decades, Merritt underscored the foundational importance of security constructs such as firewalling and network address translation in network architecture. However, the traditional approach often led to a fragmented ecosystem of purpose-built boxes, hindering seamless integration. The promise of software-defined networking initially seemed akin to a panacea but failed to deliver due to execution challenges, leaving gaps in security integration.

“That SDN movement was supposed to cure all that, kind of had its boom and faded,” Merritt said. “I think now with cloud and cloud being as pervasive as it is, you’ve got a fully virtualized L1 and L2 layer. All that core infrastructure that’s so important is available.”

Fast forward to the cloud era, where the virtualized infrastructure provides an unprecedented opportunity for native integration of networking and security. By bridging the gap between routing, load balancing and security optimization, Aviatrix addresses the inefficiencies of previous bolt-on approaches, ushering in a new era of holistic cloud networking, according to Merritt.

“A company like Aviatrix can come in with a complete network, a full network capability as one solution out there that natively includes network security and security constructs,” he said.

Forging strategic alliances: Partnering for seamless integration and innovation

By fostering deep partnerships across these domains, Aviatrix ensures a cohesive network design and topology, augmented by integrations with leading observability and security platforms. This type of approach enables organizations to leverage the best-in-class services while maintaining consistency and compliance across cloud environments, according to McHenry.

“Security has always been a complexity driver in networking,” he said. “It gets complex when you need to put a firewall in there or you need to do encryption. A lot of what we do is oftentimes driven by security and compliance requirements, whether it’s a networking-specific use case or whether it’s a firewalling use case.”

In the future, AI-driven autonomous networking could augment human capabilities, accelerating the adoption of zero-trust principles and enhancing the overall security posture at a company. Through continuous innovation and strategic alliances, Aviatrix remains poised to navigate the complex landscape of cloud networking and security, empowering organizations to embrace digital transformation, McHenry added.

“Fundamentally, we see that networking and network security are converging, and that’s a trend that’s been happening over the last 13, 14 years,” he said. “Software-defined networking … was one of the big drivers behind that. We announced our distributed cloud firewall product last year right before RSA, and so we’ve been starting to make a splash. We’ve got a lot of customers who are using it to help improve and accelerate their zero-trust programs.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE Research’s coverage of the RSA Conference:

(* Disclosure: Aviatrix Systems Inc. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither Aviatrix nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE