Open Minds, Open Source SD-WAN

What is open source SD-WAN, and how is it different from other "open" platforms we've already seen?

This was the right question for flexiWAN CEO Amir Zmora, who wanted to get into the SD-WAN space, but only if he could do something totally different.

Which is how he came to open source SD-WAN.

From Zmora's perspective, many vendors that claim to use open platforms don't quite live up to their name. "If you look at the SD-WAN solutions they offer, what they try to do is lock you in for a single-vendor type of solution where they bundle as many technologies and capabilities into one very big software box," said Zmora on the Season 2 premiere of our podcast. "Who said that you as an enterprise—or even as a service provider—need to get all of these technologies from one single vendor?"

In short: while SD-WAN products might use open source in their core, Zmora sees the products themselves using an old-fashion model that relies on closed, monolithic software.

This led to flexiWAN's aim to "democratize" the SD-WAN market. The group set out to build a more traditionally open source and modular architecture that could be used by third party vendors. (Think App Store for SD-WAN.)

Tap below to get the full story and hear more about how open source works in SD-WAN world.