Arista Acquires VeloCloud
Arista recently acquired the VeloCloud SD-WAN portfolio from Broadcom, marking a significant expansion of its enterprise networking capabilities. The move aims to unify Arista’s existing campus/branch and data center solutions with VeloCloud’s SD-WAN technologies and broad customer base, creating a comprehensive client-to-cloud architecture that addresses the growing demands of distributed AI workloads and cloud-centric enterprises. This acquisition is more than just filling a portfolio gap; it should be viewed as a strategic response to the shifting network requirements driven by generative and agentic AI, as well as an increasingly distributed workforce. The installed base represents a compelling opportunity for the Arista channel to sell its networking solutions.
Strategic Context and Market Implications
Network architecture is undergoing rapid transformation. As mission-critical and AI workloads are distributed across private data centers, multiple public clouds, and the edge, organizations require a more agile, resilient, and application-aware network solution that spans data centers, campuses, WANs, and branch locations.
Arista has been focused on delivering highly performant data center (including back-end networks for GPU clusters) and campus networking, and is now adding a critical piece of infrastructure to deliver end-to-end solutions; a robust, scalable, and AI-aware WAN solution to complete its portfolio and complement existing WAN routers. The acquisition and eventual integration of VeloCloud enables Arista to offer:
- End-to-end secure connectivity across highly distributed environments, including remote workers
- Integrated SD-WAN and SASE capabilities, leveraging an ecosystem of partnerships
- AI-driven traffic optimization and observability across hybrid environments, utilizing VeloRAIN (Robust Artificial Intelligence Networking)
- A roadmap to deliver a unified network operations model with enhanced scalability and automation.
- Additional GTM relationships with VeloCloud’s MSPs
With this move, Arista strengthens its position in the enterprise networking market, enabling it to better support customers navigating AI-driven transformations and modernizing highly distributed network environments. It will also be more competitive against other end-to-end networking companies.
New Products for Campus and Branch
Arista also introduced several AI-optimized innovations designed to modernize campus and branch environments, including:
- Arista’s Wired and Wireless Campus/Branch Infrastructure
- New Compact 12-port PoE+ Switch: A fanless, 60W-capable model in the 710 series targeting remote and branch deployments.
- New Wi-Fi 7 Access Points:
- O-435: Ruggedized outdoor AP with tri-radio and dedicated multifunction scanning radio for industrial environments.
- C-400: Entry-level indoor tri-radio AP optimized for high-density branch and MSP deployments.
- New WAN router: AWE-7220R WAN router with regional connectivity. Together with the previously announced AWE-7230R and AWE-7250R systems, customers can build a hub-spine and VeloCloud micro-edge WAN topology.
- Zero Trust Security and Identity Management:
- New CloudVision AGNI (CV AGNI) flexible deployments: Arista extended its CV AGNI to support fully on-premises deployments, an essential consideration for regulated industries. The platform now provides:
- AI-driven identity-based access control
- Microsegmentation via virtual ZTX appliances
- Secure, client-based connectivity across hybrid endpoints
- New CloudVision AGNI (CV AGNI) flexible deployments: Arista extended its CV AGNI to support fully on-premises deployments, an essential consideration for regulated industries. The platform now provides:
VeloCloud’s SD-WAN Architecture
With the acquisition of VeloCloud Arista is now able to deliver leading SD-WAN capabilities, including:
- Application-aware routing with deep packet inspection (DPI) of 4,800+ applications
- Dynamic multipath optimization (DMPO) to ensure performance across variable transport networks (e.g., broadband, LTE, satellite)
- Zero-touch provisioning, cloud-native orchestrator, and full routing protocol support (BGP, OSPF)
- Integrated NGFW, URL filtering, IDS/IPS, and flexible SASE integrations
The interoperability between Arista’s campus gear and VeloCloud’s edge and WAN solutions enables enterprises to deploy consistent networking and security policies across all environments, from the core to the edge.
AI-Ready Networking
One of the most forward-looking aspects of the acquisition is its alignment with AI-driven IT trends. Arista and VeloCloud together address two critical facets:
- Networking for AI: Enterprises deploying AI workloads—whether in centralized data centers or branch locations—require highly performant back-end, front-end, and WAN networks that can handle asymmetric traffic, provide low-latency paths, and accommodatefluctuating bandwidth requirements. VeloCloud’s ability to dynamically optimize and remediate performance over the WAN (e.g., FWA, satellite) becomes essential.
- AI for Networking: The addition of VeloBrain, VeloCloud’s AIOps platform, enhances operational efficiency by accelerating root cause analysis, automating issue remediation, and offering natural language insights into performance and security incidents.
The result is an infrastructure that not only supports AI workloads but also leverages AI to operate more intelligently and at scale.
Customer and Partner Benefits
Whether you’re an enterprise IT leader or an MSP, the to-be-integrated platform delivers several key outcomes:
- Simplified operations: Unified provisioning, orchestration, and telemetry across LAN, WAN, and cloud environments.
- Improved application performance: Real-time optimization and SLA enforcement even over degraded links.
- End-to-end security: Integrated zero-trust capabilities, identity-aware segmentation, and flexible SASE models.
- Rapid ROI: Many VeloCloud SD-WAN customers report TCO reductions of 3x and ROI within six months, aided by automation and streamlined deployment.
Additionally, MSPs gain enhanced multi-tenancy, co-management options, and the ability to scale services across tens of thousands of endpoints.
Enabling the AI-era Enterprise
Arista’s acquisition of VeloCloud and its broader AI-era product strategy reflect a maturing market demand for unified, intelligent, and secure networking. The company is building an enterprise-grade platform that not only supports today’s generative AI and cloud applications but also prepares for the next wave of intelligent agents and edge computing.
By tightly integrating SD-WAN, switching, wireless, security, and AIOps, Arista delivers a cohesive client-to-cloud networking strategy well-suited to support enterprise digital transformation initiatives across various industries. Keep in mind that integrating EOS and Velo may take some time, with the most likely initial steps being monitoring and contextual launching of management software.
For organizations seeking to future-proof their network infrastructure to meet the pressing demands of the AI era while simplifying operations, Arista’s expanded portfolio will provide a compelling solution. This acquisition, along with the launch of innovative new products, demonstrates Arista’s commitment to delivering solutions for the AI-era.
For more information on the acquisition and launch, please go to the Arista website
