VMware wants to take over Avi Networks

VMware wants to make data centers more cloud-like. In order to achieve this, the company takes over Avi Networks for an unknown amount of money. Avi Networks offers application delivery services to large enterprises such as Deutschebank, Cisco and Adobe, in a so-called multi-cloud fabric.

With this service, Avi Networks tries to balance application loads between data centers and public clouds. With the acquisition, more of the more flexible, on-demand experience of public clouds to enterprise data centers should be brought, in an automated and scalable way, writes Silicon Angle. According to the two companies, this results in the only complete software-defined networking stack in the industry.

Tom Gillis, senior vice president and general manager of VMware’s networking and security department, said the acquisition would further develop their Virtual Cloud Network vision. In this vision, a software-defined distributed network architecture encompasses all the infrastructure, bringing all the pieces together with the automation and programmability found in the public cloud.

According to Gillis, Avi offers a specific part of networking: load balancing. Once the agreement has been completed, VMware must therefore enable the built-in load balancing capabilities as part of VMware NSX Data Center. This is a standalone application delivery controller. Gillis expects the company to show other Avi products on its price list as well. This must be completed within 90 days of the takeover.

Avi Networks

With its products, Avi Networks meets the growing pressure from businesses to deliver and update applications faster and more consistently across multiple clouds. This requires more automated networking, as well as security services for public and private clouds. Older application delivery controllers – including those that can run on virtual machines – cannot scale up or provide the right security for distributed cloud environments, resulting in too many services being used and higher costs.

Avi Networks’ platform should help organizations overcome the complexity of legacy systems and application delivery control appliances with modern, software-defined application services. The platform offers a number of services, including a Software Load Balancer, Intelligent web Application Firewall and Advanced Analytics and Monitoring.

The acquisition of VMware is expected to be completed in the second quarter of fiscal year 2020. That quarter closes on August 2. The acquisition is not expected to have a material impact on the operating results of 2020.