Networking Pipeline: But won't there be more consolidation overall?
Goel: Yes, we're going to see more consolidation. At the end of day, it gets very expensive to have a direct sales force out there selling one certain product. You really need to give them more than one or two products to sell. The companies who get [acquired for] premiums will be the ones who executed well. That's a very clear differentiator.
Networking Pipeline: If Juniper thinks it needs security expertise in-house, what does that mean for a security outsourcing
firm like Virtela?
Goel: It is a clear validation of two things: More and more enterprises are adopting IP VPNs. This is a validation that other service providers probably want to get into this business, so that validates the whole Virtela business model. What it means directly for Virtela is kind of interesting, since we do business with both of the companies. Now, maybe we'll have a single point of contact for both Netscreen and Juniper products.
Networking Pipeline: But is the purchase a sign that enterprises want to buy networking gear and security gear from one vendor? Cisco is talking about doing end-to-end services, do they want to be like IBM?
To realize the benefits of cloud-native software, an application must actually be cloud-native—designed to run in the cloud, interacting with disaggregated cloud services, fully manageable as code—to deliver the expected benefits.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
