Author: Ron Westfall

Benu Networks BNG upgrade reveals a BNF solution with clearly differentiated SASE and WWC capabilities that fulfill new carrier cloud-native edge demands. Futurum’s Ron Westfall explains how carrier demand for secure networks and solutions that deploy across converged networks is burgeoning as work-from-home (WFH), remote learning, and the rapid growth of 5G are escalating network bandwidth demands and introducing new security challenges. Westfall is also bullish on the resultant portfolio differentiation and capabilities for Benu as a result of this upgrade.
The new HPE Ezmeral product and partnership updates sharpen HPE’s Kubernetes management platform portfolio and market messaging. Futurum’s Ron Westfall unpacks the nuances of these updates including how the HPE Ezmeral updates target the data scientists, developers, and IT decision makers with the comprehensive orchestrated Kubernetes (K8) management platform required to accelerate application development innovation and scale AI/ML and data-intensive workloads throughout hybrid and multi-cloud environments. What’s ahead? Ron believes that it’s time for K8 management platform market pace setters VMware and IBM/Red Hat to heed and specifically counter the burgeoning HPE Ezmeral proposition.
Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse (ADW) is better positioned now to power ecosystem-wide adoption of self-driving cloud DW platforms through the addition of new capabilities. Oracle ADW will compel rivals to counter Oracle with their own autonomous DW portfolio developments, particularly around offering post-SQL cloud DW capabilities that fulfill the ease of use and minimal administration demands of organization of all sizes. As such, Oracle can drive differentiation of its ADW portfolio by providing a self-service, automated, and SaaS-enabled DW experience that puts swifter, more contextual actionable insights within the reach of organizations of all sizes.
Clearfield’s upgraded Clearview Blue Cassette proposition will oblige key fiber management rivals, Commscope and Corning, to allocate increased portfolio development and marketing resources to counter the new 48-port option. Futurum’s Ron Westfall discusses the update and the impact on Clearfield’s fiber management portfolio, along with the challenges he anticipates ahead.
The SAP Capgemini deal boosts SAP’s contingent workforce management proposition, expanding awareness of SAP Fieldglass. Futurum’s Ron Westfall covers the contingent workforce management market segment, what’s ahead, and how this move improves SAP’s competitive position to directly challenge its major workforce rivals by meeting the burgeoning demands of major clients, such as Capgemini. With this win, SAP fortifies its competitive standing in fulfilling the burgeoning distributed workforce demands of workforce, especially including unique contingent workforce requirements.
The coming year will be a challenging one for supply chain management decision makers as they grapple with the lessons learned from the supply chain disruptions linked to the global pandemic, geopolitical trade disputes, and unanticipated outcomes from natural disasters. Futurum’s Ron Westfall takes a look at how improving supply chain reliability and mitigating disruptions to supply chain networks is attainable by adopting best practices such as holistic mapping of the supply chain network and putting increased focus on revenue assurance priorities, transparency enforcement, and upscaling of the partner selection process.
HPE CTG sharpens HPE’s overall Open 5G proposition aimed at the CSP and enterprise realms. HPE CTG offers the broad 5G portfolio, professional services, and telco portfolio pedigree and expertise needed to power ecosystem-wide adoption of open, cloud-native 5G implementations on a secure, confident basis across cloud environments. In combination with in-house resources such as HPE GreenLake/Ezmeral, HPE CTG now has the competitive foundation to consistently differentiate its solutions against both 5G infrastructure suppliers and public cloud providers. I anticipate and look forward to HPE CTG and Open 5G prospects gaining momentum and advancing during the course of 2021.
Marvell enlarges its OpenRAN ecosystem credentials by providing a 4G/5G OpenRAN design for Evenstar. The move boosts its OpenRAN support credibility with both OEMs and operators, which is critical for Marvell to win both mind and market share in the already hotly contested OpenRAN segment. The Evenstar initiative is key to Marvell’s overall competitiveness as the company reported in its Q4 2020 results that its quarterly growth mostly came from its Networking business, which benefitted from accelerating 5G builds and Cloud’s continued strength. The overall growth for the Networking business was 22%. As such, I expect Marvell’s goal to support having Evenstar equipment ready for network operator trials by next year takes on more importance in assuring the company’s long-term competitiveness.
HPE is in a distinct position to upset the competitive balance in the open 5G space, including the Open RAN market segment. Futurum’s Ron Westfall discusses the specifics of the launch of HPE’s Open RAN Solution Stack and the fact that he believes it poses a serious competitive challenge to Open RAN specialists, as well as sets the stage for HPE to duel long-term with the incumbent RAN and mobile infrastructure players in determining the destination of the overall Open 5G ecosystem. Factor in HPE assets such as the formation of HPE CTG, HPE GreenLake/Ezmeral, and HPE 5G Core Stack, HPE is now in a strong position to become a prime influencer across the entire 5G ecosystem.
Juniper’s debut of Paragon Automation demonstrates the ability to execute on its Experience-First Networking strategy. The formation of Paragon Automation indicates Juniper has the blueprint to bolster its portfolio through a well-executed acquisition strategy that most recently includes 128T and Apstra. Futurum’s Ron Westfall views the formation of Juniper Paragon Automation as boding well for Juniper’s prospects in further assimilating its 128T assets to make deeper inroads into the AI-driven enterprise realm as well as successfully integrating its Apstra assets to alter the competitive dynamics within the automated cloud DC realm. Through Paragon Automation, Juniper is ready to win new mind share and move the needle across the automated WAN, AI-driven enterprise, and automated cloud DC market realms.
Verizon Business and Cisco are meeting the growing enterprise demand for SD-WAN services and easing their adoption path or improving the overall agility of their existing SD-WAN implementation, particularly across multi-cloud environments. I anticipate both Verizon and Cisco are now better positioned to meet growing enterprise SD-WAN demand and drive SD-WAN adoption on a more secure and agile path, also providing the foundation for SASE assimilation as workforces become ever more distributed and virtual.
Oracle’s expansion of its Hybrid Cloud Portfolio, especially through the Oracle Roving Edge Infrastructure offering, strengthens its overall competitive standing in the public cloud and ruggedized edge server domains. Oracle counters competitive offerings such as HPE’s Edgeline series as well as the AWS Snow Family, bolstering OCI’s ability to sell more into verticals and environments, such as agriculture, energy, mining, and factories, where conditions can be vigorous and tough and network connectivity is limited or lacking. Here’s what Futurum’s Ron Westfall has to say about the Oracle Cloud VMware Solution, the key differentiators it provides, and what this move by Oracle compels its rivals to do moving forward.

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