Juniper Networks expands its data center operations with Apstra Freeform

Juniper Networks has released Apstra Freeform, the newest expansion to its multivendor data center automation and assurance platform. This capability allows Juniper’s enterprise, service provider and cloud provider customers to manage and automate their data center operations regardless of topology and protocols used.

Network operations are rapidly evolving. Whether it’s managing the effects of a global supply chain crunch or coping with changes in the workforce spurred by the pandemic, organizations of all sizes and sectors face architectural questions that will shape how they build their data centers.

Sole sourcing will become multivendor, configuration will become intent-driven and root-cause identification and remediation will become automated. Juniper Apstra was built from the ground up to address this new era of operations. Apstra Freeform aims to unify experiences across vendors and automate key data center workflows as the single source of truth for data center configuration.

Freeform builds upon Apstra’s intent-based networking capabilities for full lifecycle data center management across a range of data center topologies and vendors, enabling a reliable user experience that encompasses the following key features:

• New reference design covering any topology. With this new software release, Apstra simplifies IT operations by extending its intent-based networking capability to any protocol, any topology and any network domain. Customers can now choose the architecture that fits their business needs while taking advantage of Apstra capabilities.
• Reliable operations. Apstra’s role as the single source of truth enables data center designs to be applied consistently, every time. Closed-loop feedback provides IT professionals with reliable operations across disparate infrastructure.
• Value now accessible to more customers. As part of this new release, Juniper is introducing a new Apstra licensing model. Freeform extends Apstra capabilities to significantly more use cases. Customers can now choose from three licensing tiers with the option to seamlessly upgrade at any time as needed.

“Apstra continues to emphasize the importance of reliable and consistent multivendor data center operations,” said Mike Bushong, Group VP of Data Center Product Management at Juniper Networks.

“With the introduction of Freeform, we are expanding operational efficiency further into the market. Freeform brings full control of the network design into the hands of data center operators, giving them complete flexibility and versatility. Without topology constraints, we are truly democratizing intent-based networking and allowing everyone to benefit from the best operational practices in the cloud era.”, Bushong continued.

To address ever-evolving business requirements, organizations must continue to focus on the speed and scale of their operations, all while maintaining reliability. Apstra delivers consistent, reliable data center operations through continuously validated, intent-driven blueprints across multiple vendors.

By giving customers the freedom of choice and innovation through multivendor support, Juniper continues to take a different approach to data center operations management.

Juniper Networks Professional Services provides Apstra Automated Deployment and Migration Services for customers using validated data center reference designs, as well as flexible Freeform reference designs. Both Services are fully customizable and can be tailored to specific customer requirements or leveraged for any feature, protocol or architecture.