Broadcom Software just announced the acquisition of AppNeta, a pioneer in end-user experience over the internet. AppNeta will be integrated with DX NetOps, the network monitoring software portfolio within Broadcom’s Enterprise Software Division.
The acquisition marks a key milestone in the DX NetOps vision to assure Network Observability Anywhere. AppNeta adds solutions, technologies, and people that will enable DX NetOps to deliver more value to our customers and partners.
AppNeta's solutions address the visibility gaps currently experienced by network operations as they try to maintain reliable connections between site-to-site, site-to-cloud, site-to-SaaS and remote workers-to-site, cloud, and SaaS. These connection paths, increasingly, traverse both the internet and its multiple autonomous systems, and are susceptible to constant route changes that do not consider the user’s experience.
In order for network operations teams to continue delivering the same assurance they have in their internal networks, it is essential that they can apply the classical workflow, alarm management, proactive monitoring, and traffic analysis to the internet. The combination of DX NetOps network monitoring software with AppNeta enables network operations teams to treat the internet as an extension of their enterprise networks.
Figure 1: Broadcom’s “Network Observability Anywhere” architecture
AppNeta's solutions also add new technologies such as Active Testing to DX NetOps. Active Testing is a critical toolkit to address the challenges of modern networks and provides continuous end-to-end measurements of network health, performance, and availability.
Fueled by SDN and automation, networks are becoming agile and dynamic. However, this modernization has also introduced more congestion and outages on a greater scale. Using active testing, network operations users can proactively run tests to validate SDN changes before deployment.
Similarly, tests can be triggered automatically or on-demand, based on events and the vulnerability level of the network. Combined with existing DX NetOps workflows, Active Testing provides network users a greater level of confidence that the network is ready for business.
Perhaps AppNeta’s most valuable contribution is its team of innovators and entrepreneurs who have developed a timely and market-fitting solution. The team’s knowledge and experience in both inter-networking and customer needs will enhance DX NetOps network monitoring software as well as help Broadcom build additional value-add solutions.
DX NetOps — with AppNeta and alongside Broadcom's ecosystem of devices and silicon — is ready to help our customers build the next generation of networks.