As Arista described the old, tired networking of the past, they didn't volunteer the name of any particular company. But it was obvious who they were talking about. And it rhymes with "Shmisco."
Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), as well as other incumbents Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) and Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK), rely on rigid networking architectures based on purpose-built routers, which lack flexibility and scalability, Arista says. Compare that with Arista's own network architecture, which (Arista says) is based on programmable software running on merchant silicon, for improved flexibility and scalability. Also, Arista runs the same software across all its switching products, compared with competitors that run multiple operating systems, making administration more complex, Arista says.
However, Cisco and those other incumbents aren't sitting still. They have their own software strategies. And with regard to Cisco in particular, Arista is hardly an impartial commentator: the two are locked in litigation and counter-litigation over charges that Arista stole Cisco's intellectual property.
A CSP's digital transformation involves so much more than technology. Crucial – and often most challenging – is the cultural transformation that goes along with it. As Sigma's Chief Technology Officer, Catherine Michel has extensive experience with technology as she leads the company's entire product portfolio and strategy. But she's also no stranger to merging technology and culture, having taken a company — Tribold — from inception to acquisition (by Sigma in 2013), and she continues to advise service providers on how to drive their own transformations. This impressive female leader and vocal advocate for other women in the industry will join Women in Comms for a live radio show to discuss all things digital transformation, including the cultural transformation that goes along with it.
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Editor, Enterprise Cloud News
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