Over the past several years, an immense transition has taken place as networks have become more diverse and complex. Companies large and small have many branch sites -users at the edge that need to connect securely and quickly to the network and the cloud. Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) technologies are enabling customers to tackle this transition efficiently and effectively. Today, Cisco announced the intent to acquire Viptela Inc., to help customers connect and manage multiple branches, while lowering WAN costs and improving security.

Cisco has been providing SD-WAN technology and services to customers for several years; the Cisco IWAN solution delivers an on-premises SD-WAN solution for customers needing advanced routing features and other advanced network services, and Cisco Meraki provides a cloud-based solution for customers needing maximum simplicity and unified threat management functionality in their SD-WAN solution. Acquiring Viptela will enable us to expand our portfolio, with increased functionality delivered through the cloud.

Since 2012, Viptela has been developing solutions to help customers anticipate and manage branch connectivity across their networks. Their cloud-first approach to SD-WAN includes cloud orchestration and management of branch networks, as well as overlay technologies. Customers can centrally manage the WAN with a real-time dashboard view to monitor the health of their network and improve connectivity.

With Viptela, Cisco can offer customers more choice in their enterprise branch offices and WAN deployments, with a compelling SD-WAN solution that is easy to deploy and simple to manage. Together, Cisco and Viptela will be able to deliver next generation SD-WAN solutions to best serve all size and scale of customer needs, while accelerating Cisco's transition to a recurring, software-based business model. Viptela will join the Enterprise Routing team within Cisco's Networking and Security Group led by Senior Vice President and General Manager David Goeckeler.