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August 14, 2015

Q&A: CloudGenix Showcases Leading Software-defined Wide-Area Network (SD-WAN) Solutions at VMworld 2015 - Innovator's Pavilion at Booth NI4

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As part of VMblog's live VMworld 2015 coverage coming up at the end of this month, we're getting our schedule ready to learn as much as we can, as quickly as we can.  But with so many vendors exhibiting at the show, how do you know who to get on your schedule and which booths to visit?  

This year, I'm excited to meet a new vendor to VMblog --  CloudGenix.  The company is leading the way in a very interesting segment of the market - the software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN).  The company is transforming legacy WAN's into a radically simplified, secure application-defined fabric, and virtualizing heterogeneous underlying transports into a unified hybrid WAN.  They control application performance on the network based upon application performance SLA's and business priority.  And CloudGenix ION simplifies how WANs are designed and managed, enabling customers to build Networks without Networking and achieve more than 2x the performance at less than half the cost, leading to a much faster time-to-value once deployed and extends datacenter-class security to the network edge. 

Definitely looking forward to this demo and discussion.  And you should as well.  Make sure to add CloudGenix on your schedule.  To find out more ahead of the show, check out the below Q&A interview with the company:

VMblog:  You guys are sponsoring the VMworld 2015 event coming up.  How can folks find you at the show?

CloudGenix:  CloudGenix will demonstrate its software-defined wide-area network (SD-WAN) solutions in VMworld's New Innovator's Pavilion at Booth NI4.

VMblog:  And if an attendee visits your booth, what message will they take back with them?

CloudGenix:  Software-defined WAN innovator CloudGenix revolutionizes networking by transforming legacy WANs into a radically simplified, secure application-defined fabric and virtualizes heterogeneous underlying transports into a unified hybrid WAN. CloudGenix enables customers to build "Networks Without Networking" and achieve 10-100X better WAN performance at 50-80 percent cost savings by moving from MPLS to an active-active hybrid WAN environment.

VMblog:  Why should attendees put CloudGenix on their "must see" list?

CloudGenix:  CloudGenix is a must-see this year because its SD-WAN technology is disrupting 25 years of traditional, incumbent WAN technology. By eliminating hardware and creating an SD-WAN solution, CloudGenix provides customers with a secure, simple and flexible solution on an application-defined fabric. Benefits include:

  • Operational Simplicity - alleviating common WAN management and configuration problems
  • Cost Savings - reducing hardware costs with COTS x86 hardware
  • Central Control, Productivity Gains - by providing rapid provisioning on the WAN based upon business rather than network attributes
  • Applications First - Build and manage network with applications not by routing protocols using application SLA-based policies.

Our customers especially like the CloudGenix SD-WAN because it can all be implemented gradually - branch office by branch office - rather than as a "rip-and-replace" of existing infrastructure. 

We will have several customers at the show with us if attendees what to talk to them about what it's like to have and implement a software-defined WAN.

VMblog:  What do you like most about sponsoring VMworld?  Why is this a must sponsor event for your company?

CloudGenix:  VMware continually inspires us by its dedication to simplifying and virtualizing complex datacenter environments. The event brings together the greatest technology luminaries in software-defined and virtual environments, and it is a wonderful opportunity to share the CloudGenix story and philosophy on software-defined networking. We want to convey the value of software-defined WANs to other industry leaders and discuss the benefits of virtualized infrastructures with industry experts. Lastly, we want to illustrate how a CloudGenix software-defined WAN delivers a higher-performance, more cost-effective alternative to legacy WAN technologies.

VMblog:  Can you give VMblog readers a sneak peek as to what you will be showing off at your booth this year?

CloudGenix:  We'll be showing a live demo of CloudGenix Software-defined WAN.  With any new technology that offers so many benefits and is such a departure from the traditional - seeing is believing.  We will show..

  1. How you build an application network with CloudGenix
  2. Operational simplicity - How it's set up an active-active Hybrid WAN
  3. How CloudGenix responds to brownouts.
  4. Application based troubleshooting and visibility
  5. Reporting and analytics

VMblog:  Tell us, why do you consider your product unique?

CloudGenix:  CloudGenix literally changes the way companies build their WANs

  1. No Overlay Routing Protocols - We are not simplifying or automating routing protocols we are building a network without them.  Cloudgenix leverages API's to communicate policies
  2. COTS (X86) Hardware - Reduced branch footprint with high performance data plane
  3. Applications Not Packets.- Path selection, performance monitoring, business prioritization based on applications not routing protocols.
  4. Business Context Based Policy - Use plain business language for application SLA's and verifiable compliance
  5. Highly Available- Connectivity and availability maintained even if controller goes off line.  Application specific brown out detection & mitigation
  6. Secure Application Segmentation - Topology & transport independent.  Dynamic security perimeter with services

VMblog:  Most VMworld attendees enjoy a good giveaway or trade show tchotchke.  Are you guys giving away anything special or interesting this year?

CloudGenix:  Software-Defined WAN is a hot new space.  We'll be handing out free copies of Software-Defined WAN for Dummies Books.  A great way to understand this new technology.

VMblog:  Does your company have any speaking sessions during the show?  If so, can you give us the who, what, when and where?

CloudGenix:  https://vmworld2014.activeevents.com/connect/sessionDetail.ww?SESSION_ID=6615&tclass=popup

NET6615-QT - Extending the Power of Software Defined Networking to the Retail Branch

Sunday, Aug 30, 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM      

Presenting: John Spiegel - IS/Manager, Columbia Sportswear and Vijay Sagar - VP of Product Management, CloudGenix 

Today's branch is evolving rapidly. Internet connectivity with direct breakout to cloud-based applications as well as general internet is ubiquitous. omni-channel applications and initiatives to grow top line revenue while at the same time enhancing security and compliance posture must be rolled out rapidly at the speed of business. In this session, we will walk you through how the rich capabilities and API's within NSX and vSphere can be extended to the branch enabling customers to rapidly and cost effectively enable the following capabilities using Commodity off the Shelf Hardware:

  1. Software defined security perimeter with rich security services delivered directly at the branch or "projected" from service clouds in vCloudAir
  2. Extension of Data Segmentation across the WAN to the branch based upon business policy and compliance requirements without relying on underlying carrier protocols
  3. Measuring and controlling end user experienced application performance for cloud as well as internal applications.

Technologies covered will be Software Defined Enterprise-Software Defined Data Center + Software Defined WAN, NSX, vcloudAir, Security, and Application Performance Analytics, Palo Alto Networks and Arkin.

VMblog:  Is this your first time sponsoring VMworld?

CloudGenix:  CloudGenix is an early-stage startup; as such, this is our first year exhibiting at tradeshows. VMworld was at the top of our list because its attendees represent the most innovative IT professionals in the world. These progressive thinkers are the first to adopt promising new technologies like SD-WAN.

VMblog:  And what are you guys looking forward to most at the show?

CloudGenix:  CloudGenix is thrilled to sponsor VMworld this year. Virtualization is a key element to our technology, and it's a significant topic that affects network architecture, performance and security. VMworld provides the ideal opportunity to showcase SD-WAN technology and discuss our evolving use cases to a high-profile audience. It's also a really creative and innovative environment, which is exciting to be part of.

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Do you agree about this technology sounding interesting?  Good.  Make sure to visit CloudGenix in the New Innovator's Pavilion at Booth NI4. 

David Marshall

David Marshall has been involved in the technology industry for over 19 years, and he's been working with virtualization software since 1999. He was able to become an industry expert in virtualization by becoming a pioneer in that field - one of the few people in the industry allowed to work with Alpha stage server virtualization software from industry leaders: VMware (ESX Server), Connectix and Microsoft (Virtual Server).

Through the years, he has invented, marketed and helped launch a number of successful virtualization software companies and products. David holds a BS degree in Finance, an Information Technology Certification, and a number of vendor certifications from Microsoft, CompTia and others. He's also co-authored two published books: "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center" and "Advanced Server Virtualization: VMware and Microsoft Platforms in the Virtual Data Center" and acted as technical editor for two popular Virtualization "For Dummies" books. With his remaining spare time, David founded and operates one of the oldest independent virtualization news blogs, VMblog.com. And co-founded CloudCow.com, a publication dedicated to Cloud Computing. Starting in 2009 and continuing all the way to 2016, David has been honored with the vExpert distinction by VMware for his virtualization evangelism.