Juniper Networks Brings The Self-Driving Network(TM) Closer to Reality with New Juniper Bots

SUNNYVALE, CA–(Marketwired – December 07, 2017) – Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR), an industry leader in automated, scalable and secure networks, today moved service providers, enterprises and cloud providers closer to fully realizing the promise of The Self-Driving Network with Juniper Bots, a series of new applications that simplify network operations by translating intent into automated workflows, as well as updates to the Juniper Extension Toolkit.

Networks have become more complex with the rise of diverse operating conditions that must serve a multitude of applications that often reside across multicloud environments. As network operators invest in scaling infrastructure cost-effectively to meet consumer and enterprise demands, complex programming languages that require highly skilled developers have been the only way to automate. Additionally, the underlying technology has only made small strides in simplifying human-to-machine interaction. Because of this, network automation adoption has slowed. In fact, in a recent study Juniper asked customers and partners to select the biggest barriers to automation:

• 43 percent noted that the lack of internal education and skillsets prevents the adoption of network automation.
• 33 percent of respondents also cited the lack of an integrated end-to-end solution as a barrier to network automation efforts.

Compounding the issue, network operators have traditionally only been able to analyze a small portion of all the network data available due to technology shortfalls, and for decades, networking has largely been an exercise in precisely specifying behavior, one configuration knob at a time, device by device. To solve for all of this, Juniper has unveiled Contrail Intent Bots and AppFormix Analytics Bots, both of which change the way network operators interact with the network.

News Highlights:

• Juniper Bots comprise a growing ecosystem of new software applications focused on intent and analytics that automate workflows and break the cycle of complex machine-focused automation tools. The bots, which leverage both the Contrail and AppFormix platforms, incorporate real-time analytics that are designed to translate higher-level business requirements (the “what”) into automatic configuration changes across the network (the “how”). New bots that Juniper is announcing today include:
  – Contrail PeerBot automates the traditionally cumbersome process of network peering — managing multiple Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing and complex policy enforcement — to simplify policy enforcement and on-demand scaling.
  – Contrail TestBot, an application that’s part of Juniper’s broad effort to help network operators embrace a DevOps approach for Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment, automates the continuous auditing of design, provisioning, and deployment changes in the network.
  – AppFormix HealthBot is a machine learning fitness and health tracker for the network that leverages AppFormix to collect real-time network data and glean insight, HealthBot translates troubleshooting, maintenance, and real-time analytics into an intuitive user experience to give network operators actionable insights into the health of the overall network.
• Juniper Extension Toolkit (JET) enhancements: Juniper has extended the current management and control API framework of JET to the data plane, enabling developers to create applications with direct data plane access on Juniper’s vMX and MX Series 3D Universal Edge Routers. Developers using JET now have access to advanced network programmability with Junos OS, giving them increased control over the silicon that powers the most programmable edge routers in the industry.

Supporting Quotes

“Operating a network is one of the most resource-intensive IT functions within any enterprise, cloud or service provider organization. Whether it’s ongoing maintenance or moving workloads to the cloud or deploying new services, each step has traditionally required attention to detail and countless hours of planning and execution. Juniper Bots bring us closer to our vision for The Self-Driving Network, one that requires less human intervention and the ability to focus on more strategic business initiatives. To move at the speed of business, network operators need to spend less time precisely managing manual network knobs and levers, and more time expressing intent.”
– Sally Bament, vice president, service provider marketing, Juniper Networks

“This announcement is clearly in the realm of what service providers and enterprises are likely to increasingly prioritize in the future — network automation leveraging machine learning and AI. Juniper as a pre-eminent networking vendor appears to have taken the lead in making the vision of a Self-Driving Network a reality.”
– Rajesh Ghai, Research Director, Carrier Network Infrastructure, IDC

Additional information

• Juniper Automation Solutions Page
• Juniper AppFormix HealthBot Solutions Page
• Juniper Analytics Solution Page
• Blog: In Pursuit of the Self-Driving Network™, Juniper Unleashes Bots Upon the Network
• Follow Juniper Networks online: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
• Juniper Blogs and Community: J-Net
• Juniper 1on1 app: Keep up with all things Juniper from your smartphone. Download the app from iTunes and Google Play store today.

About Juniper Networks

Juniper Networks challenges the status quo with products, solutions and services that transform the economics of networking. Our team co-innovates with customers and partners to deliver automated, scalable and secure networks with agility, performance and value. Additional information can be found at Juniper Networks (www.juniper.net) or connect with Juniper on Twitter and Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release concerning Juniper Networks’ prospects, product availability, future products and expected performance, and expected benefits of our products to customers are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Actual results or events could differ materially from those anticipated in those forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including delays in scheduled product availability, incompatibility of technologies, the company’s failure to accurately predict emerging technological trends, and other factors listed in Juniper Networks’ most recent report on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All statements made in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release. Juniper Networks undertakes no obligation to update the information in this release in the event facts or circumstances subsequently change after the date of this press release. Any future product, feature, enhancement or related specification that may be referenced in this press release are for information purposes only, are subject to change at any time without notice and are not commitments to deliver any future product, feature, enhancement or related specification. The information contained in this press release is intended to outline Juniper Networks’ general product direction and should not be relied on in making a purchasing decision.

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