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Category: SONiC

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SONiC

Unlocking 40% TCO Savings with Future Proof 400GbE Network Infrastructure

During my journey through the world of telecom solutions, I’ve witnessed how infrastructure inevitably becomes commoditized over time, while the true value shifts towards applications and the data and AI layer. At Aviz Networks, our mission is to lead the exact change and revolutionize networking infrastructure adoption.

‍What do Global 1000 companies really care about?

My experience collaborating with Global 1000 customers has three common denominators about how they approach their infrastructure needs. 

  • Stay at the cutting edge of technology
  • Make future-proof choices to adapt to changing demands
  • Save on TCO by leveraging commodity

An exciting movement towards 400GbE Network Infrastructure is currently underway. According to the IDC report, the market revenue for 200/400 GbE switches witnessed a staggering 141.3% year-on-year growth and 14.3% quarter-on-quarter growth in Q1 2023. Embracing this cutting-edge technology, coupled with SONiC’s ownership of the NOS layer, ensures future-proof choices that foster control and innovation.

 However, amid all the discussions about the merits of 400GbE, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) aspect often remains a complex calculation shrouded in mystery. The crucial question is how we can establish an inversely proportional relationship between the latest cutting-edge innovation and cost. The missing piece of this puzzle is SONiC adoption. In this blog, I aim to shed light on this critical analysis and explore how SONiC can play a vital role in driving TCO savings while embracing the power of 400GbE networks.

‍Can adopting SONiC lead to savings exceeding 40%? 

The industry is rapidly transitioning to 400GbE, primarily driven by this very prospect. In the past, deploying approximately 500 switches with a leading vendor and their conventional NOS could cost between $25,000 to $35,000 per 400GbE switch. However, opting for SONiC NOS with the same ASICs would cost between $12,000 to $16,000 per 400GbE switch. An impressive 40% savings. While pricing variations may arise based on customer buying power, the same purchasing advantage applies to SONiC solutions for hardware of your choosing. Overall, the total cost of ownership (TCO) savings remains at around 40% or more.

These savings aligns with executive goals:

  •  Embracing the cutting-edge 400GbE technology.
  • Ensuring future-proofing by owning the NOS and enabling greater control.
  • Achieving a TCO that truly moves the needle.

Let me share with you a concrete example of early adopters who paved the path and collaborated with Aviz to create seamless recipes for easy rollout of SONiC. Check out the eBay blog for more details.

What do you need to do to make it possible for your infrastructure?

Are you ready to take the leap into the future of networking? Aviz has developed the recipes for consuming 400GbE networks with 40% TCO savings – while commoditizing Networks and NetOps tools. Aviz ensures that the networking infrastructure is future-proofed and is 100% in customer control, has 100+ SKU choices and the customer has the ability to innovate at light speed. All with Aviz enables Normalized Community SONiC. Contact me for more information. I would love to share how I am making it happen for F500 on a daily basis for amazing and technology-savvy customers of Aviz Networks! 

‍To learn more, schedule a meeting with me!

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SONiC

Semiconductor Shortage: Your Network Is Calling For A Multi-Vendor Strategy

Closeup of electronic circuit board with CPU microchip electronic components background

In the wake of the ongoing supply chain crisis, the one thing we have seen over and over is that availability of silicon is the single most important barrier for the enterprise trying to expand and/or upgrade their network infrastructure. Yes, every enterprise needs to transform digitally in this new world of remote-first work culture. Yes, there are complications with adopting new open-source architectures. And Yes, there is a shortage of talent globally. But that fact remains, that we can not even start our digital transformation initiatives if the semiconductor crisis continues to be where it is. Simply put, the enterprise needs to adopt a multi-vendor strategy so they can source hardware from where supply is.

As the U.S. government noted in its “Briefing Room” blog, the paucity of semiconductors has not only been affecting the automotive industry, it has also been “dragging down the U.S. economy” and “could cut nearly a percentage point from GDP growth.

HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW, SCHUH, SCHNELLBÄCHER, TRIPLAT, AND WEISE

‍How can networking leaders of multi-million/billion dollar corporations deal with this global supply chain crisis that is plaguing their digital transformation initiatives?

Relying on a single vendor who is constantly prioritizing and deprioritizing order fulfillment depending on how best they can juggle their customers isn’t cutting it now and will never be sufficient going forward. If Vendor A can only fulfill a portion of your hardware needs, the only option is to bring Vendor B, and Vendor C into the mix, from the very beginning, as part of your procurement strategy. But that brings up a different challenge.

How would you standardize the software stack across multiple hardware vendors, when every vendor has traditionally provided its proprietary software stack?

Fortunately, the “Open-Source” revolution in networking started long before the pandemic. We are now at a point where true disaggregation of hardware and software is possible with SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud). SONiC is an open-source network operating system based on Linux that runs on silicon from all major vendors. It is deployed today at multiple hyperscalers and web-scale enterprises for their Data Center and Edge Networks. The majority of ASIC/Switch vendors now support SONiC via their SAI/SDK integrations through standard APIs defined by a thriving community of SONiC developers.

‍Who would you go to, when your production network has issues that span across hardware from multiple vendors running “Open-Source” software that no one vendor truly owns?

‍It’s open-source. Community builds it, and the community maintains it. But, essentially the enterprise that is using it owns it and maintains it, which is fine as long as its core business is to sell networks (example: hyperscalers). When it comes to the non-hyperscalers, this is what scares them into going back to the proprietary stacks, and a single vendor strategy. And for this reason, network disaggregation cannot be limited to hardware and software segregation. We need new business models that can support “Open-Source” based stacks across multiple hardware platforms for the enterprise, much like how Red Hat supported enterprises through their adoption of Linux.

‍So, how would an entity like Red Hat support a multi-vendor strategy for network fabrics, without rolling out its own distro (much like RHEL)?

This is where the new business model is needed. Customers crave quality, and quality doesn’t have to translate to a single SONiC distro across all hardware platforms. After all, each vendor spends tremendous amounts of R&D efforts in perfecting their own solutions. At Aviz, we recognize that customers care about their use cases. They are willing to embrace the nuances of the underlying hardware, and even software if there is a single point of accountability for 24×7 support.

How is Aviz leveraging the “Open-Source” SONiC ecosystem and supporting this multi-vendor strategy?

At Aviz, we are building “Open-, Cloud-, and AI-First Networks.” At the core of it is the support we offer for helping the enterprise not only through their multi-vendor SONiC deployments but also through post-production network monitoring, so you can be confident that there is someone you can call upon when you need help.

We support multi-vendor SONiC deployments by:

  • Ascertaining quality: working with customers in identifying and documenting their use cases. We follow that by qualifying multiple vendors and certifying SONiC on their hardware in our lab environment for various speeds and feeds.
  • Providing 24×7 support: with our application-driven support model that leverages deep telemetry from devices running certified builds to proactively monitor your SONiC fabric, along with our team of SONiC experts that are available around the clock.
  • Enabling end-to-end SLAs: with both Switch and ASIC vendors to ensure that issues that trickle down to the platform drivers, or SAI/SDK layers, or the physical hardware itself for that matter can be addressed in a transparent and timely manner via well defined SLAs.
  • Delivering patches and upgrades: using our CI/CD-based sandbox environment to run regressions before the patches or upgrades are released for the customer’s production environment.

Conclusion

If there was ever a good time for the enterprise to consider a multi-vendor strategy for their network infrastructure, it is now. Rest assured that the entire ecosystem has evolved to a point where true disaggregation is not only feasible but the only viable option for catering to the new demands of digital infrastructure upgrades. Our customers are seeing immense value in our disaggregated application-driven support for “Open-Source” SONiC, which is a key driver to adopting a multi-vendor strategy and de-risking the challenges posed by the global supply chain crisis. To learn more about how our disaggregated application-driven support model works, schedule a discovery call with us.

On a separate note, we are looking for dreamers like ourselves who can not only contribute code for multi-vendor SONiC development but also help expand our vision. Send us a note at hello@aviznetworks.com to start a conversation.

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SONiC

Multi-Vendor SONiC: Creating New Opportunities For The Enterprise

Repairman in server room between mainframes used for computationally intensive tasks such as scientific simulations or 3D rendering. Professional doing professional equipment inspection using tablet

Software for Open Networking in the Cloud (SONiC, an open-source networking operating system) recently moved from the Open Compute Project (OCP) to The Linux Foundation (LF). This enables neutral governance, and further, accelerates its adoption in a multi-vendor-supported ecosystem.

Leading open source network operating system enabling disaggregation for data centers now hosted by the Linux Foundation to enable neutral governance in a software ecosystem.

THE LINUX FOUNDATION

The LF provides the perfect venue for developer-led growth, and a public-private partnership across contributors, vendors, and users alike to nurture the open-source networking stack. It is clear that the future of Open-Source Networking is brighter than ever, given the traction SONiC has been seeing. Today, every large enterprise data center is considering SONiC deployment for the simplicity, agility, and reliability it brings above and beyond its cost advantage. More and more market segments such as edge, retail, campuses, and telcos are embracing SONiC at a supersonic speed. Their eyes are on the prospects of disaggregated networking and innovative applications in the cloud (hence software for open networking in the cloud).

Let’s take a deeper look at the “Multi-Vendor” aspects of the Open-Source SONiC ecosystem, and how enterprises can benefit from it

Typically, there are four different models when it comes to open-source software development:

  • Traditional Open-Source: when individuals or a group of developers work on interesting innovations with personal initiatives; and no involvement from public/private corporations. They typically just open-source their work and anyone in the community including public/private corporations can consume their work in whatever ways they like. Example: PANDA (Protocol And Network Datapath Acceleration).
  • Traditional Open-Source Distributors: when companies create businesses around traditional open-source projects and contribute some or all of their work back to the core of the project, but monetize some aspects of development and/or deployment. Example: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
  • Single-Vendor Open-Source: when a company aims to disrupt existing markets open sources its software to change the dynamics of the ecosystems around it and gain the mindshare of the community. Typically, in such cases, while the company builds a community around its technology, they also create an ecosystem for value-added products and services it can monetize. In doing so, they maintain strong control of and around their project and technology. Example: MongoDB.
  • Multi-Vendor Open-Source: when a community and multiple organizations come together with a common goal of building and standardizing a software stack across the entire ecosystem. In such cases, the collaboration amongst vendors and the community focuses on areas that are not directly a part of the participating organizations’ core assets. Example: Apache Kafka.

The Future of Networking is Multi-Vendor Open Source

SONiC, the open-source NOS, is one of the best examples of “Multi-Vendor Open-Source” software in networking, where multiple vendors, service providers, hyperscalers, and enterprises collaborate with the community and contribute to the future of Open-Source Networking. SONiC runs on Switches and ASICs from multiple vendors to offer a full suite of networking features via SAI/SDK layer integration that is specific to their core asset. Multi-Vendor Open-Source eliminates proprietary software dominance, giving users (enterprises) more of what they have been seeking for years: control and choice.

Let’s do some math: Control + Choice + Zero Cost NOS + Community = immense value for the enterprise

Add to this enterprise-grade support from Aviz, and you have everything you need to eliminate the proprietary software dominance from your network infrastructure.

SONiC is the clear winner for which NOS to use across your network fabric and Aviz is the trusted partner in your SONiC journey because our goal is to make SONiC ubiquitous, intelligent, and accessible for every stakeholder. Aviz is the moderator of the SONiC Community, the co-creator of the SONiC CAB (Customer Advisory Board), and we don’t sell ASICs, Switches, or SONiC Distros. Neutral, impartial, and packed with SONiC Experts, Aviz is here to help you implement, manage, and improve your Open Networking infrastructure.

Here are 3 ways to maximize your benefits from the SONiC Community and Aviz:

  1. Engage in the SONiC Experts group on LinkedIn
  2. Steer development in a direction that creates enterprise value in the SONiC CAB: sonic-cab@aviznetworks.com
  3. Contact Aviz to derive the greatest benefits from SONiC deployment

SONiC has the potential to transform your network infrastructure much like Linux transformed Compute. Working with Aviz exponentially grows the value you can derive from the SONiC transition. Schedule a discovery session with me to learn more about how Aviz can help.

FAQs

1-What is Multi-Vendor Open-Source Networking and how does SONiC support it?

Multi-Vendor Open-Source Networking refers to a collaborative ecosystem where multiple vendors, service providers, hyperscalers, and enterprises come together to develop and standardize a software stack. SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) is a prime example of this model. It runs on switches and ASICs from multiple vendors and integrates via the SAI/SDK layer to offer full networking functionality. This eliminates proprietary lock-ins and enables control, flexibility, and interoperability across diverse network hardware something enterprises have long sought.

SONiC’s transition to the Linux Foundation provides neutral governance, fostering greater collaboration and trust across vendors, contributors, and users. The Linux Foundation enables a public-private development model that accelerates innovation, transparency, and enterprise adoption. This shift ensures SONiC remains vendor-agnostic, further strengthening its position as a truly open and enterprise-ready NOS (Network Operating System).

Unlike traditional or single-vendor NOS solutions, which often tie customers to proprietary hardware or software ecosystems, SONiC operates on a disaggregated, open-source model. It gives enterprises full control of their networking stack, runs on a wide range of hardware, and eliminates costly licensing. Its community-driven model ensures that development is aligned with real-world enterprise needs, and its vendor-neutral approach protects users from lock-in or ecosystem deadlocks common in proprietary NOS models.

Enterprises benefit from SONiC through:

  • Control & Choice: Freedom to choose any compatible hardware.
  • Zero Cost NOS: Eliminates expensive software licensing.
  • Community Innovation: A collaborative ecosystem continuously improving the software stack.
  • Future-Proofing: Avoids vendor lock-in and supports evolving enterprise needs.
  • Support Options: Can be paired with enterprise-grade support from partners like Aviz Networks for smooth deployment and management.

 

Aviz Networks plays a key role in the SONiC ecosystem as a neutral, vendor-independent partner. Aviz:

  • Moderates the SONiC community and co-created the SONiC Customer Advisory Board (CAB).
  • Offers enterprise-grade support, tools, and microservices to accelerate SONiC deployment.
  • Helps enterprises implement, manage, and scale their SONiC-based open networking infrastructure.
  • Provides direct engagement opportunities like the SONiC Experts LinkedIn group and CAB steering to drive innovation aligned with enterprise needs.

ONES 2.0 is designed to abstract complexity across SONiC devices from different vendors. It normalizes telemetry, configuration, and lifecycle management—enabling unified operations in mixed-vendor environments.

By moving SONiC to the Linux Foundation, the community gains:

  • Neutral governance
  • Strong public-private collaboration
  • Long-term sustainability

This accelerates vendor-agnostic innovation, which ONES 2.0 is purpose-built to support.

Without consistent visibility across different hardware and software combinations, troubleshooting and compliance become challenging. ONES 2.0 solves this by providing:

  • Real-time topology views
  • Protocol health metrics
  • Instant alerts for faster incident resolution

ONES 2.0 simplifies onboarding through YAML-based automation, firmware inventory visibility, and intuitive UI-based configuration management. This lowers the learning curve and reduces the risk during migration.

Aviz doesn’t sell ASICs, switches, or SONiC distros. It remains neutral as a community moderator and SONiC CAB co-creator—providing trusted tools, enablement services, and deep technical leadership to help enterprises get the most out of SONiC.

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SONiC

Open vs Open-source: A Paradigm Shift in Networking

The networking industry saw a huge number of startups evolve in the last decade. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them did not deliver on the promise of creating a truly open and disaggregated networking ecosystem, which is evident from the consolidation that followed their evolution. Fortunately, two broad concepts in networking were clear winners: 1) Software Defined Networking (SDN), and 2) Disaggregation in Networking solutions. SDN started off well with controller (NSX) and non-controller (EVPN) based methods and is now used as the basis of orchestrating VPC (Virtual Private Cloud) networks in public clouds. Disaggregated Networking as a concept was popularized by companies such as Cumulus, which helped immensely in generating the demand for standards-based solutions across multiple ASIC and Switch vendors. What did not change, however, was the networking protocols, and to put it simply – BGP remains BGP, even after decades of innovations and transformations.

In 2017, Microsoft and the Open Compute Project (OCP) rolled out SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) as a free and open-source network operating system based on Linux. It allows cloud operators (public, and private) to share the same software stack across hardware from different vendors. As SONiC started gaining popularity, the disaggregated solutions started referring to themselves as Open Networking solution providers. The word ‘Open’ makes sense in the context that customers are open to using any hardware, but it also creates a false pretense that the whole solution is open-source, which was never the case. As someone who used to sell disaggregated networking solutions from some of the aforementioned vendors, I was often asked by customers to provide code-level access, since the solutions were advertised as ‘Open Networking’, only to find out that  ‘Open Networking’ did not really mean  ‘Open-Source’.

As true believers of the ‘Open Source Networking’ paradigm, we not only contribute towards SONiC’s development but are honored to be managing the SONiC Development Program as a neutral entity in the SONiC ecosystem.

VISHAL SHUKLA

Fast forward to today, with the level of maturity and adoption SONiC has achieved, we (at Aviz Networks) believe that now is the right time for the industry to start delivering on the promise of truly ‘Open Networking’ a.k.a ‘Open-Source Networking’. If you are looking to transition to truly Open Networking, our recommendation is to consider the following when evaluating options:

‍Is the ‘Open Networking’ stack forcing a vendor lock-in?

In the early 2000s, networking solutions used to be completely proprietary, primarily from the traditional networking companies. In the next decade, disaggregation happened, and a choice of the white box was made available, which was a welcoming step forward for the industry. But there was still a lock on the NOS, which was not only closed source but also came with a hefty price tag. The huge licensing fee for commodity features will continue until we move towards an Open-Source NOS as an industry, much like how Compute and Storage adopted Linux. ‘Open Networking’ solutions must work as a truly open stack – from the ASIC to the NOS. If there is any proprietary component in any of the layers, specifically on the software side, the whole solution locks you into a vendor-specific ecosystem.

Is the ‘Open Networking’ solution future-proof?

In the past decade – a series of proprietary NOS acquisitions by Switch/ASIC vendors created a deadlock for customers, which clearly shows that any solution sold under the conventional tag of ‘Open Networking’ is not future-proof. Customers who deployed proprietary NOS  on non-acquirer/competing vendors’ ASICs were left with no choice. They essentially have to either go back to traditional networking companies or buy another expensive NOS distribution. We see some NOS vendors committing to avoid such deadlocks, but they are also using the same proprietary NOS approach. Simply put, the cycle is repeating, and as long as there is proprietariness in the NOS layer, the networking stack will never be future-proof.

‍Is the ‘Open Networking’ solution only about Switch & NOS? What about Cloud and Apps?

Today, a vast majority of providers (including public cloud), talk about disaggregated applications that can run on any infrastructure as long as there is a standard OS layer. This is a proven model within the ‘Compute’ and ‘Storage’ ecosystem (with Linux) and for the Mobile platforms (with iOS and Android). We recommend that the NOS you select should adhere to standards adopted vastly by the majority (if not all) vendors, and has the ability to drive innovation for networking applications, and cloud adoption.

Shifting to Open-Source

Truly Open Networking solutions must work as an ‘Open Source’ stack – from the ASIC to the NOS and Truly Open Networking solutions must work as an ‘Open Source’ stack – from the ASIC to the NOS and be standards-based for nurturing application and cloud-focused innovation in the network infrastructure. Today, we see SONiC as the only truly Open Source NOS that allows you to build your own networking stack, specific to your needs, and gives you the ultimate flexibility of using any ASIC or any Switch, all without locking into a vendor-specific ecosystem. Additionally, since SONiC makes the necessary networking protocols available as open-source software, it forces the license-based consumption model to move towards a pay-for-support and pay-for-apps ecosystem, a mode that has been widely adopted in Compute and Storage already. This is what ‘Open Networking’ promised, but Open-Source SONiC is delivering. Once implemented in your Data Centers, Campuses, and Edge Networks, SONiC will not only give you the control you always wanted, but it will also result in huge TCO savings that can be reinvested into your growth.

At Aviz Networks, we are committed to enabling our customers and our partner ecosystem with ‘Open Source Networking’ via SONiC. As true believers of the ‘Open Source Networking’ paradigm, we not only contribute towards SONiC’s development but are honored to be managing the ‘SONiC Development Program’ as a neutral entity. We are working with several customers to make their SONiC deployments successful by offering SONiC enablement products and services that address critical gaps in SONiC adoption at the moment. We even provide containerized microservices on top of SONiC that are first of their kind networking applications to turn your hardware-based network functions (e.g. Network Packet Broker Taps and Aggregators) into software-only modules. Connect with us to learn more about our products and services or if you are interested in a demo.

FAQs

1-What is the difference between Open Networking and Open-Source Networking?

Open Networking generally refers to the ability to run networking software on a variety of hardware platforms, giving customers flexibility in choosing switches or ASICs. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean the software itself is open-source. In contrast, Open-Source Networking means the entire stack especially the network operating system (NOS) is built on open-source code, allowing full transparency, community contributions, and freedom from vendor lock-in.

 SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) is a fully open-source NOS built on Linux, initially developed by Microsoft and the Open Compute Project. It allows users to deploy networking software across multiple hardware vendors without being locked into proprietary ecosystems. SONiC provides open access to networking protocols and supports disaggregated architectures, enabling users to build and customize their own networking stack.

Many vendors market their solutions as “Open Networking” because they support disaggregated hardware. However, their NOS layer often remains proprietary, meaning users can’t modify, inspect, or freely use the software. This hidden layer of control creates vendor lock-in by forcing customers to rely on a specific vendor for support, updates, and licensing undermining the true spirit of openness.

Aviz Networks is a leading contributor to the SONiC ecosystem and serves as a neutral entity managing the SONiC Development Program. We help enterprises adopt SONiC by providing enablement tools, support services, and advanced networking applications. From simplifying deployments to delivering microservices that extend SONiC’s capabilities, Aviz ensures a smoother and more impactful Open-Source Networking journey for our customers.

An open-source NOS like SONiC offers:

  • Vendor Freedom: Avoids vendor lock-in with hardware-software disaggregation.

  • Lower Costs: No hefty licensing fees, reducing TCO.

  • Rapid Innovation: Open APIs and community support speed up development.

  • Scalability: Works seamlessly in multi-vendor environments.

  • Full Control: Greater visibility and automation via tools like ONES-Orchestration.

Aviz ONES (Open Networking Stack) serves as the orchestration and observability layer that simplifies and scales SONiC-based deployments. It delivers real-time telemetry, integrates with AI tools, and bridges multi-vendor environments—making it easier to automate operations, monitor performance, and respond to network events. ONES also supports hybrid fabrics including NVIDIA Spectrum-X and other third-party NOS platforms, giving enterprises a unified control plane for AI networking and traditional infrastructure.

Yes. SONiC’s disaggregated, vendor-neutral architecture allows organizations to build scalable, high-performance fabrics using the hardware of their choice. Its modularity supports:

  • AI training clusters
  • LLM inference workloads

Distributed edge compute nodes
 This flexibility makes SONiC ideal for rapidly evolving AI infrastructure.

A complete Open-Source Networking stack includes:

  • Open ASICs or switch hardware
  • An open-source NOS like SONiC
  • Standards-based protocols (e.g., BGP, EVPN)
  • Community-driven microservices and automation tools
  • Integration APIs for NetOps, DevOps, and AIOps workflows
     Proprietary SDKs undermine openness; Aviz ensures all layers are built for extensibility and control.

AI enhances Network Operations (NetOps) by automating repetitive tasks such as configuration compliance checks, anomaly detection, audit reporting, and fault resolution. Tools like Network Copilot from Aviz act as intelligent assistants that learn from telemetry data, reduce MTTR, and integrate with platforms like ServiceNow or JIRA—streamlining workflows and allowing engineers to focus on innovation.

Yes. When implemented correctly, Open-Source Networking solutions like SONiC can meet or exceed enterprise security standards. SONiC benefits from faster vulnerability patching due to its microservices-based design and active contributor ecosystem. Aviz enhances this by providing hardened builds, CVE patch pipelines, and security automation as part of its enterprise enablement services.

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Open vs Open-source: A Paradigm Shift in Networking

The networking industry saw a huge number of startups evolve in the last decade. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them did not deliver on the promise of creating a truly open and disaggregated networking ecosystem, which is evident from the consolidation that followed their evolution. Fortunately, two broad concepts in networking were clear winners: 1) […]