PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Pica8, Inc., the leader in open systems for software defined networking (SDN), today announced CrossFlow Networking, a new capability in its PicOS bare metal switch operating system that allows users to seamlessly integrate OpenFlow-based applications and business-logic policies into their existing Layer-2 / Layer-3 networks. Traditional networks move traffic based upon Layer-2 / Layer-3 networking protocols, while an OpenFlow-based network uses a different protocol and set of rules to define network behavior based upon custom policies. While both of these approaches have their benefits, customers today are facing CapEx and operational challenges of building, provisioning, and maintaining these networks independently.

Pica8 brings these worlds together through CrossFlow. With this unique capability, customers can run Layer-2 / Layer-3 protocols and OpenFlow on the same switch at the same time. With CrossFlow, users can leverage OpenFlow for diverse, policy-driven applications to drive business logic into the network, while leveraging their network topology and Layer-2 / Layer-3 protocols like OSPF and BGP for the most efficient packet transport and performance. Some sample use cases include: