Juniper Networks announces additional flexibility for data center operations

Juniper Networks, a provider of secure, AI-driven networks, has announced the release of Apstra Freeform, the latest addition to its multivendor data center automation and assurance platform. This feature enables Juniper’s enterprise, service provider, and cloud provider customers to manage and automate data center operations regardless of topology or protocols used.

Network operations are changing at a rapid pace. Whether it’s dealing with the effects of a global supply chain crisis or dealing with workforce changes brought on by the pandemic, organizations of all sizes and sectors face architectural challenges that will shape how they build their data centers. Sole sourcing will be replaced by multivendor sourcing, configuration will be driven by intent, and root-cause identification and remediation will be automated. Juniper Apstra was designed from the ground up to meet the demands of this new era of operations. As the single source of truth for data center configuration, Apstra Freeform aims to unify vendor experiences and automate key data center workflows.

Freeform extends Apstra’s powerful intent-based networking capabilities for full lifecycle data center management across a variety of data center topologies and vendors, resulting in a dependable user experience that includes 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.”

To address ever-evolving business requirements, organizations must continue to focus on the speed and scale of their operations, all while maintaining reliability. Juniper 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 fundamentally different approach to data center operations management. 

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