How Aviz Showcased AI Ready Retail Networking at NRF Big Show 2026
January 20, 2026
AI Factory
Summary
At NRF Big Show 2026, Aviz Networks showcased how SONiC, Network Observability, and Network Copilot worked together to help retailers build AI ready, open, and autonomous retail networks. Visitors explored how Aviz enabled scalable operations, real time visibility, and vendor neutral flexibility across modern retail environments.
Introduction
Retail networks had become more distributed and complex as stores adopted edge AI, in store analytics, and connected digital experiences. Network reliability, visibility, and automation directly impacted customer experience and operational efficiency.
At NRF Big Show 2026, Aviz Networks demonstrated how retailers could modernize their network infrastructure using SONiC, advanced observability, and AI driven operations. The event took place from January 11 to January 13, 2026 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City.
What Did Aviz Showcase at NRF Big Show 2026?
Aviz presented a combined approach to retail networking using three core technologies.
- SONiC for open and vendor neutral networking
- Network Observability for real time visibility across retail locations
- Network Copilot for AI assisted network operations
Together, these capabilities supported scalable, resilient, and intelligent retail networks.
How Did This Help Retail Network Teams?
Aviz solutions were designed to address real operational challenges faced by retail enterprises.
- Powered edge AI and in store analytics using real time network observability
- Automated network operations to accelerate store rollouts
- Maintained vendor neutral flexibility across multi location environments
- Reduced operational costs while improving uptime and customer experience
This approach helped retailers support innovation without increasing network complexity.
What Did Retailers Learn by Meeting Aviz at NRF?
By engaging with Aviz at NRF Big Show, retail teams gained clarity on how to modernize their infrastructure for future demands.
- How to orchestrate networks that adapted to changing customer behavior
- How to gain visibility across distributed retail network fabrics
- How to future proof infrastructure for new digital and AI driven experiences
These discussions focused on practical deployment and operational readiness.
Why NRF Big Show 2026 Mattered for Retail Networking
NRF Big Show brought together global retail leaders focused on real world transformation. For network teams, it provided an opportunity to connect infrastructure decisions directly to business outcomes.
Aviz demonstrated how modern retail networks could move beyond manual operations and siloed visibility toward intelligent, adaptive, and open architectures.
Conclusion
At NRF Big Show 2026, Aviz Networks highlighted how SONiC, Network Observability, and Network Copilot together enabled smarter, connected retail networks. By combining openness, real time visibility, and AI driven operations, Aviz showed how retailers could build networks that scaled with innovation while maintaining reliability and control.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Aviz Networks show at NRF Big Show 2026?
Aviz brought three things together at the event. SONiC for open vendor-neutral networking, Network Observability for real-time visibility across retail locations, and Network Copilot for AI-assisted network operations. The demos showed how all three work as one approach rather than separate products sitting next to each other.
Where and when did NRF Big Show 2026 take place?
The event ran from January 11 to January 13, 2026 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. NRF Big Show pulled together global retail leaders focused on real-world transformation and gave network teams a direct connection between infrastructure decisions and business outcomes.
How does Aviz help retail IT teams deal with the operational challenges of running networks across many store locations?
Four problems get addressed. Edge AI and in-store analytics run on real-time network observability. Store rollouts move faster through automated network operations. Vendor-neutral flexibility stays intact across multi-location environments. Operational costs come down while uptime and customer experience improve. Retailers get innovation without adding more network complexity to manage.
What practical things did retail teams learn from talking to Aviz at NRF?
Three areas came out of those conversations. How to build networks that adapt when customer behaviour changes. How to get visibility across distributed retail network fabrics that span hundreds of locations. How to prepare infrastructure for new digital and AI-driven experiences without ripping out what already works. The focus stayed on practical deployment and operational readiness rather than theoretical roadmaps.
Why did Aviz choose NRF Big Show to demonstrate retail networking solutions?
NRF brought the right audience together. Global retail leaders focused on real-world transformation rather than just technology exploration. For network teams, that environment made it possible to connect infrastructure decisions directly to business outcomes in the same room. Aviz used the event to show how retail networks could move past manual operations and siloed visibility toward something more intelligent and open.
Why are retail networks getting harder to manage as stores adopt more technology?
Stores now run edge AI, in-store analytics, and connected digital experiences all at once. The network is no longer just moving data between a POS and a back-office server. It directly affects customer experience and operational efficiency across every store location. More technology means more distributed complexity and that is exactly what makes reliability, visibility, and automation critical rather than optional.
How does vendor-neutral networking with SONiC help retailers manage multi-location environments?
Retailers with hundreds of locations cannot afford to be locked into one vendor's hardware and upgrade cycle across every site. SONiC runs on hardware from multiple vendors so each location uses what makes sense for that site and budget. Operations stay consistent across the whole estate because the software layer is the same everywhere regardless of the hardware underneath it.
What does moving from manual network operations to AI-assisted operations actually change for retail teams?
Manual operations mean someone has to notice a problem, investigate it, and fix it, usually after customers or store staff have already felt the impact. AI-assisted operations through Network Copilot catch issues earlier, handle routine tasks automatically, and give teams visibility they would never have time to build manually across hundreds of locations. The team stops reacting and starts staying ahead.
The next chapter starts here. Scaling a Global Retail Network with Vendor-Neutral, Open Source NOS for Flexibility and Standardization and see what's possible when your network works smarter.
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