Aviatrix Extends Secure Cloud Networking

Cloud networking pioneer Aviatrix Systems recently added network behavior analytics to its distributed threat visibility and control solution ThreatIQ with ThreatGuard, which was introduced last November. The new features are a logical extension to the vendor’s growing security capabilities.

ThreatIQ was introduced to provide network security and behavior analytics across the company’s data plane by leveraging Aviatrix CoPilot, which provides a global operational view of traffic across multicloud networks. Packaging network behavior analytics for security analysis is relatively low-hanging fruit for Aviatrix, but it is an important addition and one that can help Aviatrix’s customers extract further value from existing network security investments.

Aviatrix is partnered with several leading next-generation firewall vendors, including Check Point (Nasdaq: CHKP), Fortinet (Nasdaq: FTNT), and Palo Alto Networks (Nasdaq: PANW). ThreatIQ with ThreatGuard can be used to push security alerts or policy recommendations to those products as well as other traditional network security solutions.

Per-Node Enforcement

With the extended analytics, an important capability of ThreatIQ with ThreatGuard is the ability to enable traffic inspection and enforcement at every network node. With ThreatIQ with ThreatGuard, traffic crossing the Aviatrix network can be inspected in real time, enabling visibility into network activity that traditional network products might not be in a physical position to see.

The goal today is to compliment traditional enforcement points, but cloud networking vendors such as Aviatrix increasingly find themselves encouraged by customers to internalize additional security functionality, just like Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO), Juniper (NYSE: JNPR), and other traditional networking vendors did twenty years ago.

A Methodical Approach

Aviatrix, which was founded in 2014, has taken a methodical approach to adding security features. It is notable that the company’s current CEO, Steve Mullaney, has held executive positions at several security vendors, including Blue Coat, Force10, and Cisco. Also importantly, he was the CEO of Nicira. That company was, of course, an early innovator in network virtualization and was acquired by VMware (NYSE: VMW) in 2012.

In addition to being well led, Aviatrix is well funded, closing two relatively large investment rounds last year, the first for $75 million and the second, a Series E, for $200 million. That cash could be put to good use in numerous ways, but we would not be surprised to see some of it budgeted to further expand Aviatrix’s security portfolio. This could be accomplished by tighter integration with traditional security vendors, but market dynamics will push cloud networking vendors to continue to internalize network security capabilities.