Juniper Networks acquires Apstra, a startup specializing in intent-based networking automation for datacenter infrastructure.

Juniper Networks acquired Apstra, an intent-based networking startup, advancing its self-driving network vision. Apstra, a Menlo Park, California-based company in existence for six years, developed the Apstra Operating System (AOS), which enables network administrators to automatically configure, deploy, monitor, and validate data center networks. The software uses intent-based analytics to analyze network telemetry data, continuously validates IT staff intent, and alerts on discovered problems. Apstra's high-profile customers have included Accenture, Bloomberg, and Yahoo! Japan. Apstra CEO and co-founder David Cheriton will join Juniper as its chief data center scientist. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition reflects Juniper's broader strategy in intent-based networking, a market where multiple vendors are competing. Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, VMware, and startups such as Forward Networks are all developing intent-based networking solutions that aim to achieve autonomous networks capable of configuring, monitoring, and managing themselves with minimal human intervention. Cisco has developed three products for data center IBN: the Network Assurance Engine, Application Centric Infrastructure, and Tetration Platform. VMware has pursued acquisitions in the space, buying the intent-based verification startup Veriflow in 2019 and the AI-powered network analytics startup Nyansa in 2020. Before the Apstra acquisition, Juniper had positioned its Contrail Enterprise Multicloud software-defined networking technology as the foundation for its IBN strategy in the data center.

Both companies emphasized their alignment in blog posts. David Cheriton wrote: "There is a complete match of mission and vision, ie. bringing simplicity to network operations through AI-driven, intent-based networking and automated continuous validation." Juniper executive VP and chief product officer Manoj Leelanivas stated: "By joining forces with Apstra, Juniper is delivering on our vision of the self-driving network for the modern cloud era."

Brad Casemore, IDC's research VP for data center networks, characterized the acquisition as strategically sound, noting that Apstra's comprehensive approach to intent-based networking and analytics encompasses "data center network automation from day zero, when you are doing design and planning to day one, when you go live, and day two, when you are doing automated troubleshooting." Casemore observed that Apstra's vendor-agnostic AOS already supports networks from Juniper, Cisco, and Arista Networks, and that Apstra has performed extensive work supporting Juniper's Junos network operating system. Both companies support SONiC, the open source network operating system built by Microsoft Azure for its data center network. The data center switch market supporting SONiC is projected to reach $2 billion by 2024, according to Casemore, positioning Juniper to jointly sell its switches and Apstra's full lifecycle automation software into that market.

Casemore suggested that Juniper should articulate how Apstra's IBN technology integrates with Contrail, noting: "I would look for Juniper to provide greater clarity on its integration strategy." He envisions a potential path where "customers can use Apstra for full lifecycle network automation and use Contrail for microsegmentation and workload protection," though he acknowledged the integration story has not yet been fully explained.