Riverbed Technology announced major updates to its SD-WAN offering Riverbed SteelConnect, an app-defined, cloud networking solution that provides an intelligent and simplified approach to designing, deploying and managing distributed networks.
SteelConnect now supports complex enterprise environments and dramatically simplifies the implementation of large-scale SD-WAN deployments in the data center with non-disruptive network integration.
Riverbed also announced availability of a new line of SteelHead SD models, which combines SteelConnect and WAN optimization into a streamlined single-device solution, providing network-agility and one-click connectivity into Microsoft Azure and AWS for superior app and cloud performance.
“In today’s cloud era, legacy approaches to networking which are hardware-centric, rigid and error-prone are preventing businesses from moving forward,” said Paul O’Farrell, SVP and GM of Riverbed’s SteelConnect, SteelHead, and SteelFusion business units. “Riverbed has redefined networking for the cloud with an SD-WAN solution that is application and software-defined, and delivers unprecedented simplicity and agility. The market has responded with hundreds of customers deploying our SD-WAN solutions to date. With today’s SteelConnect and SteelHead SD launches, Riverbed is taking cloud networking one step further, with a new integrated offering driven by customer demand, and updates that deliver greater scalability, and superior network agility and cloud performance.”
The new SteelConnect SDI-5030 Data Center Gateway Appliances simplify the deployment of SD-WAN for large-scale global networks. While other SD-WAN solutions can require thousands of lines 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 Optimization services into data center networks, with elastic scale and high-availability to support application delivery across thousands of remote locations.
Riverbed SteelConnect and SteelHead WAN optimization work together to exchange application identification and classification information to ensure an end-to-end application-centric solution across the network and into the cloud. This is in contrast to dual-vendor approaches where the fidelity of application identity is compromised as packets transmit between discrete network services. The new line of SteelHead SD models (570-SD, 770-SD & 3070-SD) seamlessly integrates SD-WAN and WAN optimization services into a streamlined single-device offering. By deploying a unified solution combining SD-WAN (SteelConnect) and WAN optimization (SteelHead), enterprises can streamline and simplify their approach to cloud networking, drive network agility and deliver superior performance for on-premises and cloud-based applications with ease.
SteelConnect, initially launched as an early access offering in April 2016, unifies deployment and orchestration of hybrid WANs, branch networks, and cloud environments, including one-click connectivity to AWS and Microsoft Azure. SteelConnect also enables zero-touch provisioning, allowing an enterprise to set-up a global network and connect to the cloud in minutes, and easy ongoing network management that provides the ability to make network or business/application policy changes with a few clicks of a mouse. Riverbed announced general availability of SteelConnect 2.0 in September 2016 with many new features, including integrated visibility with Riverbed SteelCentral. In January 2017, Riverbed announced a “One-Click” cloud networking solution for secure connectivity to Microsoft Azure cloud networks. Now, Riverbed’s SD-WAN solution boasts seamless platform integration with the Riverbed SteelHead solution, and streamlined data center integration for large-scale deployments. Riverbed’s 300 SD-WAN customers spans across a wide range of industries globally, including retail, manufacturing, healthcare, professional services, finance, technology, and many more.
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