Five thoughts from Extreme Networks’ Connect user conference>
ZK Research – Zeus Kerravala
Extreme Networks recently held its annual user conference, Connect, in Fort Worth, Texas, where the company made several significant announcements:
1) Extreme was approved for standard power for the 6-gigahertz spectrum for Wi-Fi, enabling speeds over 1 Gbps for outdoor usage.
2) The company rolled out Universal Zero Trust Network Access (UZTNA), combining cloud network access control (NAC) and ZTNA to deliver zero trust as an overlay to its network and competitive ones.
3) Extreme unveiled Extreme Labs, an incubator for faster innovation and integration with partners, showcasing its ability to pull telemetry information from Intel NICs to improve its AI for networking
Key themes from the event:
1) AI for networking is close but not yet ready for prime time, as customers are just starting to experiment with it.
2) Extreme has completed the messy product work from its numerous acquisitions, resulting in a competitive enterprise networking portfolio.
3) Extreme Connect Fabric, the company’s network fabric solution, is a well-kept secret that needs more visibility and customer proof points.
4) Extreme excels in complex Wi-Fi deployments, such as stadiums and conference centers, due to its expertise in planning and execution.
5) Security is poised as a growth area for Extreme, with the company building network-centric security products to complement its SASE offering
Despite the challenging macro environment, Extreme Networks is well-positioned to grow once the network industry recovers
The company’s focus on enterprise networking, strong portfolio, and willingness to partner with customers set it apart from competitors
To accelerate growth, Extreme must continue to lead in Wi-Fi, develop its AI and security solutions, and showcase the value of its network fabric to potential customers.
Link: https://zkresearch.com/five-thoughts-from-extreme-networks-connect-user-conference