Juniper Execs: Focus On High Performance Networking
It was a message that hundreds of Juniper partners received loud and clear from execs during a keynote that kicked off Juniper's J-Partner Summit 2008 Monday held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev.
"We have a fairly simple vision, connect everything and empower everyone," said Scott Kriens, Juniper chairman and CEO during the keynote speech. "The market is changing a little bit. What becomes even more important for us is being really clear about our roles. We've stepped up the game a lot."
Without a doubt, dynamic business models are changing, Kriens said. The workforce has become more distributed and globalized, with the majority of workers connected by mobile devices such as cell phones, Blackberrys and laptops. Meanwhile, software is increasingly being delivered as a service, with global outsourcing preferred for its flexibility, as well as its cost effectiveness. In addition, data centers have becoming increasingly consolidated and moved to a smaller number of physical locations.
As a result of the evolving business model, networking demands have escalated rapidly, said Kriens. The Internet is viewed as a critical resource in job searches, personal illness, education and major financial endeavors. Consequently, the success of Fortune 500 and other high performance businesses are often directly related to the success of their networks, he said.
"What we're drilling in on, it's more than just growth," he said. "Speed is the new currency. It's how fast you can move."
Meanwhile, as networking is increasingly viewed as the lifeblood of an organization, decision makers have had to face the critical challenge created in light of shrinking or static IT budgets, execs say.
"They have to deliver this new infrastructure," said Hitesh Sheth, Juniper EVP and GM of ethernet platforms. "This is a clear opportunity for Juniper partners."
For Juniper and partners alike, that opportunity entails making a fundamental shift to comprehensive solutions-based strategies that incorporate availability, scale and performance, as well as integrated security, a high performance chassis platform, operational simplicity and a single operating system that enables end to end infrastructure for routing and switching, said Sheth.
"Switching is finally here. We have finally delivered on a comprehensive switching portfolio, crucial in building robust infrastructure," said Sheth.
And Juniper partners agree that the company's repeated focus on Junos and high performance networking will open doors for their businesses. "What's repeated over and over is Junos, the power of one single operating system," said Ed Topolniski, associate director of strategic relationships for telephone and telecommunications company Bell Canada, following the keynote.
"It's great to hear Juniper's vision going forward, how they can leverage their platform, how partners can leverage their platform," echoed Andrew Stott, senior security engineer at Fishnet Security based in Downers Grove, Ill. "It's all things that we've heard before from Juniper, so it's good to have it reinforced."