Arista and VMware Announce Relationship 

Arista Networks, Inc. and VMware, Inc. today announced a strategic relationship to enable customers to accelerate adoption of network virtualization in the software-defined data center (SDDC). This new collaboration agreement builds on the companies' four year relationship in developing innovative, integrated SDDC solutions, and focuses on development and joint marketing of the generally available Arista and VMware integrated networking solution for VMware NSX.

Arista and VMware are continuing to partner in areas that will optimize the software-defined data center for the hybrid cloud. Building on previous work around VMware vSphere, VMware vCloud Director, and VXLAN support, the companies are working together to drive greater interoperability across the broader VMware SDDC portfolio.

Arista's network programmable underlay, utilizing Arista Extensible Operating System, EOS(R), network APIs and hardware enabled VXLAN Tunnel Endpoints (VTEPS) and the VMware NSX network virtualization platform, support a software-defined data center for both enterprise and service provider customers. The Arista and VMware integrated networking solution combines award-winning network infrastructure with a complete network virtualization platform enabled to simplify management and provisioning, speed service delivery, reduce costs and create opportunities for competitive differentiation. The tools provided by Arista and VMware put control and visibility back in the hands of the network and systems administrators.

This is the third phase of an ongoing collaboration between the two companies:

• Phase 1 2010+: ESX and vSphere/VMware vCloud Integration
• Phase 2 2012+: VXLAN specification and interoperability across physical/virtual networks
• Phase 3 2014+: VMware NSX integration and Arista Networks support for VMware vCenter Operations Management Suite and VMware vCenter Log Insight

"With multiple years of joint engineering and customer deployments, this announcement highlights our growing relationship with VMware. Arista is committed to working with VMware products and architectures to optimally combine the VMware network virtualization platform and Arista programmable physical networks for the best network-wide virtualization deployments," said Jayshree Ullal, President and CEO, Arista Networks.