VMware has plans to acquire AVI Networks adding the missing component of an application delivery controller (ADC) to NSX. Despite saying that the virtual networking software, NSX, was a layer 2 – 7 software-defined networking fabric, an ADC has been missing. This acquisition changes that, allowing AVI Networks’ purely software-based approach to, eventually, become an inherent part of the VMware NSX experience.
ADC does load balancing for data center networks as well as application acceleration and caching. This software acquisition immediately puts VMware in direct competition with other ADC vendors. Citrix, F5 Networks, and A10 are just a few quick examples. One competitor that stands out is Cisco. Cisco competes heavily with VMware when it comes to selling software-defined networking for data center and multi-cloud companies. Cisco purchased the Application Control Engine (ACE) a few years ago to help with load balancing. Currently, Cisco partners with F5, another VMware competitor, to provide Layer 4 – 7 services.
VMware, with a fully integrated load balancer, is gearing up to become your first choice in data center networking software, giving admins command-line interface (CLI) free control over the communication between VMware resources. Having expert resources assist you in implementing these new strategies within your virtualized data center can benefit your organization.