Juniper Networks has announced an expansion of its Contrail SD-WAN cloud package, as the provider moves to broaden its software-defined branch management and switch options.
The firm’s freshly bolstered Contrail SD WAN now includes support for SD-LAN operations, incorporating the ability to manage branch office LANs and provision new devices.
From one cloud-managed portal, customers can now easily provision Juniper Ex Series switches to manage LAN fabrics and configure LAN virtualisation and security in the same way they operate their SD-WAN environments. This unified approach will ultimately help organisations reduce costs, streamline workflows and leverage the WAN and LAN network for connected security, Juniper Networks said.
The same revamped portal can also be used to show Mist wireless access points and launch Mist cloud for WLAN provisioning, troubleshooting, management and other day-to-day operations, including the vendor’s wired/wireless assurance capabilities.
As well as its software enhancements, Juniper has also bolstered its hardware portfolio with some key additions, including a new Wi-Fi card for its line of branch SRX (SRX 3xx and SRX550) next-generation firewalls and secure SD-WAN edge devices. The card will allow organisations to deploy Wi-Fi with zero-touch configuration alongside LTE, ethernet and other network transport options, the firm said.
At the top end of the branch SRX series, Juniper has also added the SRX380. The “highest performing” branch SRX available, it offers 1Gbps IPsec performance, four 10G ports, 16 PoE+ ports for improved wattage and density, AES256 MACsec encryption, as well as four mini-card slots.
There’s also the new NFX350, which includes eight 10G and eight 1G interfaces and, depending on configuration, up to 2TB of storage, 128GB of RAM and 32 vCPUs. Juniper said the “fully loaded” version will also support up to 40Gbps of NG-firewalling and up to 8Gbps of IPSec.
"Juniper has a unique and innovative vision of unifying wired, wireless, SD-WAN and security under a common framework that delivers unparalleled automation, insight and actions to our enterprise customers," commented Manoj Leelanivas, chief product officer at Juniper Networks.
"These latest enhancements take us one step closer to that goal by expanding the breadth of our cloud offering and deliveringeven more deployment options for simple, seamless and secure campus and branch networks."
