Nokia has been recognized as a leading innovator and top performer in the data center fabric solution by GigaOm analysts for the second year in a row.
Their solution allows data centers and cloud environments to effortlessly scale, adapt, and operate. The acknowledgement was part of GigaOm’s evaluation of the data center switching market, encompassing all major industry vendors.
The size of the global data center switch market was around $ 14.6 billion in 2022. Between 2023 and 2032, global data center switch sales are set to increase at 4.8 percent CAGR. At the end of 2032, the global data center switch market size will reach $23.2 billion.
Nokia’s 7200 IXR series switches offer high-performance hardware equipped with a fully programmable Network Operating System (NOS) tailored for NetOps. The company excels in various aspects, including automation and support for network design, deployment, and operations.
Nokia’s data center networking portfolio is rapidly expanding, encompassing the 7250 IXR product suite, which features high-performance and high-density modular platforms designed for data center spines and wide area network connectivity deployments.
Additionally, the 7220 IXR suite offers high-performance, high-density fixed configuration platforms suitable for leaf and spine deployments within data centers. Both hardware series include multiple variants supporting port speeds ranging from 1GE up to 800GE.
Nokia’s data center networking solutions operate on the Service Router Linux (SR Linux) Network Operating System (NOS). The SR Linux NetOps Development Kit (NDK) enables application developers to leverage SR Linux’s underlying model-driven architecture. With the NDK, data center teams can develop new applications and operational tools in their preferred programming language and gain deep programmatic access to the entire IXR switching system.
Nokia stands out in NetOps suitability evaluation, as its Fabric Services System functions as an operational toolkit and management system, enhancing and scaling operations across the entire lifespan of the data center fabric. The Fabric Services System facilitates highly automated design, deployment, and operation processes.
During the initial stages (day 0 and 1), the system automates the design and deployment of a standard BGP-based IP fabric. For day 2+ operations, it streamlines EVPN workload deployments and maintenance tasks.
Leveraging telemetry, the Fabric Services System continuously monitors the fabric, compares its state with desired intents, and analyzes the results to identify configuration inconsistencies, faults, or other deviations that may lead to network issues. It then offers recommended resolution paths to restore the fabric to its intended state. The system also boasts a robust Digital Twin capability, enabling validation of any changes made to the data center fabric before deploying them in a production environment.
Andrew Green, an analyst at GigaOm, commended Nokia’s IXR series switches, emphasizing their high-performance hardware and fully programmable NOS designed specifically for NetOps. He also highlighted Nokia’s excellence across various metrics, including automation and support for network design, deployment, and operations.
Rudy Hoebeke, Vice President of Product Management, IP Service Routing at Nokia, highlighted the company’s 20+ years of experience in IP routing and network operations, even as a relatively new player in the market.
Rudy Hoebeke emphasized that Nokia’s data center fabric solution empowers customers to take control of their data center operations. The recognition from GigaOm reinforces Nokia’s strategic approach to the data center switching market, aligning with the dynamic changes and opportunities for disruption and innovation in this space.
