Silver Peak 2018 CEO Predictions

Silver Peak 2018
CEO Predictions                                                                      

David Hughes, Founder
and CEO of Silver Peak

Enterprises adopt
cloud-first WAN architectures

Today, most WAN traffic, to and from branch and remote sites,
is destined for the cloud, either to SaaS services or applications hosted in an
IaaS environment. The traditional WAN was architected for branch-to-data-center
traffic flows, not to efficiently support new cloud-driven traffic patterns.
Starting in 2018, most enterprises will adopt a “cloud-first” SD-WAN
architecture designed to efficiently and effectively support the ongoing
evolution in their application mix.

The new WAN edge
replaces the traditional branch router

Traditional routers are no longer the default choice for
branch deployments. Routers are burdened by three decades of complexity and a
cumbersome “CLI-first” device-by-device configuration paradigm. With SD-WAN as
a foundation, a new class of centrally-orchestrated, application-driven WAN
edge devices will replace traditional routers in the branch.

Cisco is no longer
the safe, default choice for routing and switching

The move away from traditional Cisco router and switch
architectures will not be confined to branch office deployments. In 2018, we will
continue to see big share shifts in the data center. Enterprises will be more
inclined to deploy innovative networking technologies from vendors beyond Cisco,
marking a favorable change for the overall networking ecosystem.

The new WAN edge
enables improved security architectures

For years, enterprises have been hamstrung, forced to choose
between backhauling all branch office traffic to one of several next gen
firewall-equipped hubs or deploying a firewall at every branch site. In 2018, the
new WAN edge empowers enterprises to make this decision on an application-by-application
basis. Network managers can elect to breakout trusted traffic locally at the
branch, divert to a cloud-based firewall service (sometimes called a web
services gateway), or backhaul to a full security stack at a central location. Enterprise-grade
SD-WAN solutions also enable enterprises to micro-segment traffic across the
WAN, thereby containing the impact of any breach.

Machine learning
enables the self-driving network

Machine learning will be used to complement automation and
enable networking to move beyond traditional device-by-device CLI configuration
toward intent-driven service orchestration. We will see this evidenced in new
application classification techniques, learning and adaptive networking
functions and powerful data analytics that turn terabytes of data into actionable
insights and actions for network operators.

Cloud-based
management becomes the default

For the last few years, the number of devices under cloud
management has grown steadily, expanding beyond Wi-Fi to switching, and now to the
new WAN edge. Cloud-based management and orchestration simplify initial
deployment, provide better ongoing availability, and most importantly, are
backed with web-scale storage and compute resources that enable analytics and
machine learning-based techniques that would be difficult to support in most private
enterprise environments.

One Virtual Network
Function (VNF) is better than four

2018 will see more carriers rolling out universal CPE
offerings – commodity x86 appliances with the ability to host virtual network
functions from multiple vendors. While much of the hype in this market has been
around service chaining an arbitrary mixture of these VNFs, as carriers and
their customers gain more experience, it will become apparent that the fewer VNFs
required, the better. Ultimately, one advanced SD-WAN-based VNF will provide
all the networking services required in a typical branch site deployment. The
value of universal CPE will center on the ability for enterprises to select
their preferred technology stack without switching out hardware, enabling them
to move on from building an arbitrary franken-mixture of services.

More SD-WAN deployment
options, spanning from DIY to fully managed

The initial wave of SD-WAN deployments have been spearheaded
by early adopters willing to go it alone with “Do-It-Yourself” SD-WAN
deployments which they configure, deploy and manage in-house. While an SD-WAN dramatically
simplifies the branch over the traditional router-centric WAN, some enterprises
prefer to outsource networking and will seek a fully managed solution. Others
want deployment assistance, but then want to manage the network themselves. And
others will want co-management. In 2018, enterprises will have more options to
choose from with traditional VARs, system integrators and service providers all
bringing to market new SD-WAN services that fill out the spectrum from DIY to
fully managed.

The first SD-WAN-driven
IPO

As SD-WAN hits mainstream, the largest independent SD-WAN vendors
will likely be in a position to pursue an initial public offering. 2018 is
likely to see one or more S1 filings in preparation for IPOs. For smaller
players, it will be time to wrap-up and find a home under the wing of a larger
and more established company. For those technologies acquired in 2017, it remains
to be seen what aspects of the original products will be incorporated into the
parent companies’ offerings, and which will be abandoned.