Riverbed announces SteelConnect updates
Riverbed recently announced updates to its SD-WAN solution SteelConnect, including private links that enable users to connect to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. Other updates include integration between SteelConnect and Riverbed Xirrus Wi-Fi, and the addition of Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless options for SteelConnect SD-WAN gateways.
Riverbed originally introduced SteelConnect in April 2016 as a SD-WAN platform that provided unified network connectivity and policy-based orchestration across hybrid WANs, remote LANs and cloud networks. SD-WAN in general has grown in popularity in recent years as a way to connect and secure data centers and branch offices. Riverbed said the recent updates to SteelConnect enable customers to securely connect to their cloud resources through single-click cloud automation. It now supports both AWS Direct Connect and Azure ExpressRoute.
“With the Riverbed SteelConnect SD-WAN solution, customers can connect securely to AWS and Azure resources with a single-click,” Milind Bhise, senior director of product marketing, Riverbed, told RCR Wireless News in an email exchange. “Additionally, they aren’t required to retool connectivity from each branch location to the cloud to maintain secure connections, or use the datacenter to the cloud servers. In short, SteelConnect will automatically build the connections organizations need from their users and branches right to AWS or Azure clouds.”
The recent updates also include integrations with Xirrus Wi-Fi. “By adding Xirrus, the power of policy-based orchestration by SteelConnect will be further extended to the wireless edge. Riverbed is also continuing to offer Riverbed Xirrus as a stand-alone enterprise WLAN solution,” said Bhise.
Riverbed purchased Wi-Fi networks provider Xirrus in April 2017. The acquisition provided Riverbed with a suite of Wi-Fi solutions, including high-density access points and cloud services. According to Riverbed, with the recent updates, customers can manage both SD-WAN and Wi-Fi from a centralized cloud console, including zero-touch provisioning of Riverbed Xirrus Wi-Fi Access Points, creation of Wi-Fi networks and Wi-Fi monitoring.
Riverbed introduced LTE wireless options for SteelConnect SD-WAN gateways as part of the updates a well. The updates follow Riverbed announcing last November that it was merging SteelConnect with Zscaler’s cloud security platform to better secure network traffic in branch and remote office business locations.
