SAN JOSE, Calif., -- Viptela Inc., the Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) company, today announced that Arista Networks board member, serial entrepreneur and former Cisco CTO Charles Giancarlo along with former Time Warner Cable CTO Michael Lajoie have joined the company’s Board of Advisors.

“The Wide Area Network is ripe for innovation,” Charles Giancarlo. “Viptela is poised to transform the enterprise WAN with its software-defined platform. I look forward to working with the company’s management team to build the next world-class networking vendor.”

“Cloud and video applications combined with the continuous growth in enterprise data traffic, are pushing traditional wide area networks and the associated protocol stacks to their limits,” said Michael Lajoie. “Viptela has developed a very innovative solution to these problems that can interoperate with existing networks. I am pleased to be advising the company.”

Charles Giancarlo is an Internet pioneer, entrepreneur, investor and Fortune 50 senior executive with more than 30 years of experience in the semiconductor, communications and networking industries. He was Executive Vice President, Chief Technology and Development Officer for Cisco Systems from 1993 through 2007. His first startup, Adaptive, created the original high speed backbone for the nascent Internet in 1991. As part of Kalpana in 1993 his team created the first Ethernet Switch. In 1999 at Cisco, his team created the first WiFi product ever sold as well as the first IP Telephone system and Telepresence system. From 2008 until 2013 he was a Managing Director of private equity firm Silver Lake.

Michael LaJoie has over 20 years of experience in the cable industry. He is a recognized expert and thought-leader in digital transmission technologies. As CTO of Time Warner Cable, he led several industry shaping projects including the company’s Multi Media initiative, The Full Service Network, Road Runner, Pegasus Digital Television platform and Time Warner Cable's early work in IP telephony. In 2011, he was named to the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. Prior to joining Time Warner Cable, he served as an Independent Software Developer and designed and installed network systems. He currently serves on the board and as an advisor to several emerging technology vendors.

Giancarlo and Lajoie join Viptela’s distinguished board members, Bill Coughran (former SVP Engineering, Google), Tony Li (founder Procket Networks), Sudhir Ispahani (CEO, Alpha Global Partners), Amarjit Gill (serial technology entrepreneur), Dr. Arjang Zadeh (CEO of Azdio), Mark Hayter (Engineering Director, Chrome hardware, Google), John Wakerly (startup advisor) and Anup Singh (CFO, Nimble Storage).

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