Big Switch Networks

Big Switch Networks
Name	Big Switch Networks
Type	Private
Industry	Networking hardware and software
Founded	2010
Fate	Acquired by Arista Networks (2019)
Headquarters	Santa Clara, California
Key people	Andy Bechtolsheim, Guido Appenzeller, Tom Nolle
Products	Software-defined networking, network monitoring, virtual switches

Big Switch Networks was an American networking company founded in 2010 that developed software-defined networking (SDN) and network monitoring products aimed at data centers and cloud service providers. The company drew on contributions from researchers and engineers associated with institutions such as Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Open Networking Foundation, and competed with firms including Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, and VMware in the evolving SDN and network virtualization markets. Big Switch Networks played a role in the broader transition from proprietary chassis-based switches to white-box switching and open network operating systems used by hyperscalers and enterprise cloud builders.

History

Big Switch Networks was founded by technologists with prior associations to companies and institutions like Sun Microsystems, Arista Networks, Stanford University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Google. Early in its history the company engaged with standards and community projects such as the Open Networking Foundation and contributed to discussions shaped by protocols and projects like OpenFlow, the Open vSwitch project, and the Linux Foundation-hosted initiatives. The firm built relationships with cloud providers including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform as part of the market shift influenced by moves from legacy vendors like Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks. Financial backing and advisory input included figures with histories at Intel Corporation, Cisco Systems, and venture capital firms active in Silicon Valley such as Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz. In 2019 the company was acquired by Arista Networks, aligning with Arista’s strategy similar to previous acquisitions like BigSwitch acquisition that further integrated SDN capabilities into merchant silicon platforms and EOS-based ecosystems.

Products and Technology

Products from Big Switch focused on SDN controllers, virtual switching, and network packet broker functionality comparable to solutions from VMware's NSX and monitoring platforms such as SolarWinds. The product lineup addressed use cases similar to offerings by Palo Alto Networks for security visibility and by Riverbed Technology for application performance. Technologies incorporated support for protocols and projects including OpenFlow, sFlow, and integrations with orchestration tools like Kubernetes and OpenStack. Big Switch’s software aimed to interoperate with white-box switches that leveraged merchant silicon from vendors such as Broadcom, Intel Tofino, and Mellanox Technologies (now part of NVIDIA). The company produced virtual switch implementations and controller platforms meant to enable network telemetry comparable to capabilities from ExtraHop and Splunk integrations.

Architecture and Design

The architecture emphasized a decoupled control plane and data plane consistent with the SDN principles championed in academic and industry forums like Stanford University’s research groups and standards efforts at the Open Networking Foundation. Designs targeted integration with network operating systems including Cumulus Networks (acquired by Nvidia), SONiC-based systems, and proprietary EOS-based deployments from Arista Networks. Big Switch implemented telemetry pipelines that paralleled approaches in Google’s data center fabrics and research such as the work documented in academic venues linked to SIGCOMM. The platform supported programmability paradigms found in ecosystems around Ansible, Chef (software), and Puppet (software), enabling operators from organizations like Facebook and Netflix to adopt commodity switching hardware with centralized policy and monitoring.

Market Position and Customers

Big Switch targeted service providers, cloud operators, and large enterprises similar to customers of Equinix, Digital Realty, and major telecommunications carriers like AT&T and Verizon Communications. Commercial competition included vendors such as Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, Arista Networks, and virtualization specialists like VMware. The company’s appeal to early adopters reflected trends driven by hyperscale operators including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and content delivery networks such as Akamai Technologies. Customers in financial services and media that prioritized telemetry and low-latency designs included firms comparable to Goldman Sachs and Bloomberg L.P..

Funding and Corporate Structure

Big Switch received venture capital and strategic investment from firms and individuals known in Silicon Valley circles, alongside participation from corporate investors with histories at Intel Capital, Sequoia Capital, and Discovery Capital. Leadership included executives and technical founders with pedigrees connected to Sun Microsystems, Arista Networks, and academic research groups at Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon University. The corporate trajectory involved private financing rounds typical of networking startups that later pursued exit strategies through acquisition, culminating in the transaction with Arista Networks that consolidated software capabilities into a larger networking vendor’s portfolio.

Acquisitions and Partnerships

Big Switch engaged in partnerships and integrations with ecosystem participants such as Cumulus Networks, CISCO’s developer programs, and open-source projects coordinated by the Linux Foundation and the Open Networking Foundation. The acquisition by Arista Networks reflected a consolidation trend analogous to previous consolidations in the networking sector involving companies like Nexus (Cisco)-era purchases and the absorption of SDN-focused startups by incumbents such as VMware acquiring technology firms. Strategic partner relationships included integrations with orchestration and observability vendors like Splunk, Elastic NV, and ThousandEyes to deliver combined monitoring and analytics solutions.

Category:Software-defined networking companies