Global application performance infrastructure developer Riverbed has announced the launch of Project Tiger, a new product platform, available in 2016, to help customers enhance their Software-Defined WAN (SDWAN) solution deployment.

Project Tiger is in line with the company's objective to evolve its products and tap into a space that it says is expanding beyond approximately US$10bn. The new platform includes router capability and works with the company's new baseline operating system SteelOS to ensure SDWAN capability at branch office level.

Services like routing (including protocols like OSPF), understanding applications and network security are available and according to Riverbed, the platform can accommodate third party services and speaks to the goal of creating an environment in which applications have control of the network, said Paul Griffiths, Technical Director, Advanced Technology Group, Office of the CTO, Riverbed Technology.

Studies reveal that on average there are in excess of 500 different applications running in organisations today, said Griffiths.

There is a need for routing capability and management of branch router infrastructure within SDWAN environments in organisations with multiple branch sites.

The multi-product platform company believes the new offering is aptly timed given the increased attention to Software-Defined Networks in general, and SDWAN capability in particular.

This interest is driven by the demand for simplicity in network architecture, effective management of apps and prioritisation of traffic across the corporate network.

Into Africa

From an Africa point of view, the feeling from Riverbed Technology is that due to increased competition within technology hubs in emerging markets and the need for infrastructure transformation, there is even more scope for the integration of SDWAN product – because of a shortage of relevant specialised skills to apply the functionality and extract the benefits.

Increasing competition means there is a need to deploy quickly and gain competitive advantage says Wimpie Jansen van Rensburg, Country Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa. There is also a drive to assist companies to adapt their traditional approach and rather view SDWAN infrastructure capability from app down, not from packet up.

He believes that the essential benefit of this technology is that it enables business relevant decision making and addressing the challenge of adopting a silo approach to infrastructure management.

"We have seen the biggest impact from a business perspective ... using the approach of moving the platform across these multiple silos and then they were able to do something fundamentally different,"

"I do think that in some instances, take Kenya for example and Uganda, they seem to be far more open to new ideas," added Jansen van Rensburg.

The company is keeping a close eye on East Africa and the SADC regions, and believes there is a significant opportunity to increase SDWAN rollout on the continent.