Ilona:
Hello and welcome to the Aviz podcast series. I’m your host, Ilona Gabinsky, and today we have a very special guest, Alan Fagan, the VP of Sales at EPS Global. Alan, it’s great to have you here today, and welcome to the show.

Alan:
It’s great joining.

Ilona:
Thank you. Today we will be talking about the open-source network operating system called Sonic and its transformative impact on enterprise networking. So, Alan, can you just give our audience a quick introduction of what Sonic really is, why enterprises should consider adopting it, and what benefits it brings to them?

Alan:
Absolutely, yeah. Sonic is actually an acronym for Software for Open Networking in the Cloud, and it’s a freely available open-source network operating system (NOS) designed for data centers. It’s a community-driven project that was originally designed by Microsoft and then released to the public in 2016. Essentially, it’s a software layer that sits on top of network hardware and provides the control plane for managing network devices.

Some of the benefits of Sonic—being open-source—are that it’s a community-driven project, which allows for a lot of flexibility, customization, and rapid innovation. That’s in contrast to what you’d see from a traditional networking vendor like Cisco or Juniper. With those vendors, you have to follow their development cycles, and your ability to innovate or make changes is very limited. You don’t have that with Sonic.

Another advantage is that it’s hardware-agnostic, meaning it can run on multiple hardware platforms. This helps you avoid vendor lock-in. With Cisco or Juniper, you have to buy both their hardware and software, but with Sonic, you can choose from various manufacturers. That gives you the ability to shop around for the best price and, crucially, supply chain flexibility. If one hardware manufacturer doesn’t have the switch you need, another might, and we really saw the benefits of this during the supply chain crunch caused by COVID. Some customers who were implementing traditional networks suddenly saw their lead times jump to 18 months or even two years. When we engaged with them, we were able to install networks within a few months, which was key for them.

Lastly, there’s scalability. Sonic is designed for large-scale data center networks and can support thousands of switches and routers, so no matter the size of your enterprise data center, Sonic is well-equipped to handle it.

Ilona:
This is awesome, thank you, Alan. What we see with our customers is that usability, support, and the overall experience are often blockers for enterprises to adopt Sonic. Our vision has always been to solve this problem for our customers, and we are partnering with you to help them overcome these challenges. Can you talk a little about how EPS Global assists enterprises in overcoming challenges during the Sonic adoption process?

Alan:
Yeah, so here at EPS, we’ve been active in open networking for over a decade now, even before Sonic and other NOS vendors. We’ve been working with hardware and software vendors to put together comprehensive solutions. Our technical staff engages with customers early on to understand the problem they’re trying to solve, and then we recommend the right combination of software, hardware, and support. In many cases, we build it into a complete solution that includes the software, hardware, and support, all in one package.

We have direct relationships with best-in-breed manufacturers like Edgecore, and best-in-breed support organizations like Aviz, which allows us to bring these complete solutions to the market.

Ilona:
That’s awesome, thank you, Alan. So, we recently announced the OneBox solution. Can you explain this solution and its significance in simplifying Sonic deployments for enterprises?

Alan:
Sure. OneBox is a solution that brings together EPS Global, Edgecore, and Aviz Networks to simplify Sonic deployment in the enterprise. Sometimes the open networking landscape can be challenging for customers to navigate. The ability to choose from a large list of switches, optics, and cables sounds great, but practically, it can be daunting. Customers often don’t know where to start. We help simplify this by offering a single SKU that consists of the switch with the latest version of Sonic software loaded on it, plus support from Aviz.

This single SKU simplifies the entire process for the customer, making it easy for them to order everything they need with one part number. And the support piece is really key here. In all the years we’ve been active in open networking, one of the most common questions customers ask is, “What do I do for support when something goes wrong?” You need to have a good answer to that. With OneBox, you can tell them, “Here’s the number you call—Aviz will fix it for you, whether it’s a hardware or software problem.” That’s a great answer to give.

Ilona:
I couldn’t agree more. So, Alan, what advice would you give to enterprises that are on the fence about adopting Sonic?

Alan:
I would say talk to a partner, preferably EPS Global, and give it a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how well it works for you, and even more pleasantly surprised by the cost savings and simplicity it offers. In fact, I mentioned this on another podcast recently: if you’re running an enterprise network and you’re not looking at Sonic, you better be looking over your shoulder. The benefits of open networking are so great that you ignore them at your peril.

I’ve already seen it happen in large enterprises where there’s reluctance within the networking group to look at open networking or they don’t have the expertise in-house. But organizations are now looking outside and hiring people with open networking experience to implement Sonic. So my advice is to start looking into it, engage with a partner, and if you’re not sure where to begin, start with OneBox. It’s a simple, all-in-one solution that gives you everything you need to try it out.

Ilona:
Thank you, Alan, for sharing such insightful information about Sonic and the OneBox solution. Thanks to everyone for tuning in! If you’re considering Sonic for your enterprise or just want to learn more about innovative networking solutions, visit EPSGlobal.com or AvizNetworks.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast for more discussions like this. I’m Ilona Gabinsky, and you’ve been listening to the Aviz podcast series. Stay connected, and see you in the next episode!

Alan:
Thank you, everyone.

Ilona:
Thank you, Alan.