Riverbed Siphons Versa for a Stronger SD-WAN Flow

Riverbed struck a deal with SD-WAN rival Versa Networks to sell a combined offering to its customers and bolster its position in an increasingly competitive market.The deal is described as an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) agreement that will see Riverbed offer the Versa SD-WAN technology alongside its SteelConnect platform. Riverbed describes this as expanding its SD-WAN portfolio into the enterprise space using Versa’s Secure Cloud IP software platform. This will allow for the delivery of “a full stack of enterprise and carrier-grade routing and advanced network security capabilities” to compliment Riverbed’s “SD-WAN, application acceleration, and digital experience management solutions,” the company explained. It added that the deal also bolsters its ability to “address larger and more complex enterprise SD-WAN deployments.” Riverbed today claims more than 1,000 customers are using its SteelConnect SD-WAN platform. Despite the Versa deal, it plans to continue to offer that platform while leveraging its new partner for “larger scale enterprise deployments.”