Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups working on innovative solutions for the telecommunications sector. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we want to share our insights with you. This time, you will discover 5 promising software-defined networking startups.
Heat Map: 5 Top Software-Defined Networking Startups
Using our StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally, we looked at innovation in the field of network technology. For this research, we identified 680 relevant solutions and picked 5 to showcase below. These companies were chosen based on a data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and relevance of technology, among others. Depending on your specific criteria, the top picks might look entirely different.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 5 startups & scaleups developing software-defined networking solutions. Moreover, the Heat Map reveals regions that observe a high startup activity and illustrates the geographic distribution of all 680 companies we analyzed for this specific topic.
Zeetta Networks – Network Operating System (OS)
Typically, complex tools are required to build and manage modern software-defined networking technology. Some vendors only provide solutions that work on their equipment, which then limits the extent of communications capabilities. This nudges companies to seek innovative solutions that allow enterprise systems to effectively use multi-vendor networks. To achieve this goal, startups are working on operating systems for networking devices that focus on SDN implementation.
Zeetta Networks is a British startup developing a proprietary and patented SDN controller, the NetOS. The solution offers support for a wide range of wired and wireless technologies and devices, including multi-vendor and multi-technology networks, as well as modular network monitoring and controls, to efficiently manage multi-domain networks. Products built on this technology include the Zeetta Visualise, a real-time monitoring solution for multi-vendor, multi-technology, and multi-site enterprise networks. The Zeetta Optimise streamlines network configuration across technologies, vendors, and domains. Zeetta Automate enables network automation, and together, these solutions benefit mainly medium and large businesses by allowing them to remain independent of conventional telecom equipment providers.
Trustgrid – Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Architecture
In today’s increasingly digital environment, business applications require high-performing and extensive networking operations. Particularly for cloud computing, it is essential for businesses to deploy, manage, and support connectivity across a variety of environments. Existing multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) and virtual private networks (VPNs) currently only solve hybrid cloud connectivity challenges, which may later lead to security risks. Startups aim to provide feasible alternatives to avoid the drawbacks of existing cloud adoption technologies, which include high set-up, maintenance, and network scalability costs.
The US-based startup Trustgrid develops a platform that incorporates SASE architecture and wide area network (WAN) capabilities. Trustgrid integrates SD-WAN, remote access, and edge computing functions into a single platform. It then combines advanced networking capabilities with cloud management and automation tools. The platform enables IT admins and DevOps teams to build zero-trust connectivity between any application, system, or end-user. This further helps businesses modernize network architectures and also improve operational efficiency.
flexiWAN – Open Source SD-WAN
Development of the open-source software allows creating more secure and reliable solutions since anyone from the community may notice bugs in code and fix them. This is important for SD-WAN, where network security and reliability have a higher priority. Multiple companies are working on developing interoperable, modular solutions that bring value to the whole industry. For SD-WANs this means that interoperable software works well with any hardware. This leads to increased network performance and lower operating costs.
Israeli startup flexiWAN provides open-source SD-WAN, which allows businesses to use highly modular solutions, unlike vendor-provided expensive solutions. Vendors of network equipment provide their software in a form of a monolithic black box, thus requiring higher computation resources than modular, open-source solutions like flexiWAN. Also, flexiWAN leverages existing, state of the art, open-source components combined with elements that were developed from scratch specifically for this project to provide more cost-effective and competitive options than existing proprietary closed SD-WAN.
Canopus Networks – Network Traffic Classification
Depending on the type of traffic, certain networks require higher bandwidth priority, such as live translations and gaming. For example, online gaming traffic is relatively low-volume but requires low latency to provide a good experience. At the same time, video streaming is not sensitive to latencies but requires higher speeds. Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a highly flexible instrument to efficiently solve traffic classification tasks and improve customer experiences.
Canopus Networks is an Australian startup providing traffic classification solutions based on AI. Unlike traditional deep packet inspection (DPI), Canopus uses machine learning (ML) to profile data flows which allow for reliable network analytics at high data rates. The solution is scalable, with up to terabits of network speed, and is useful for online and cloud gaming applications, as well as for IP telephony and edge computing, among other applications.
COSGrid Networks – Advanced Network Monitoring
The speed of today’s edge and cloud computing applications are impeded by network performance management challenges. SD-WAN operations are also not defined by certain industry protocols, leaving room for network optimization. Together with automated networking for cloud computing, software for monitoring helps enterprises’ IT departments visualize network operations and send required alerts when the network faces any issues. To increase communication speed and effectiveness, startups actively develop reliable and easy-to-install solutions.
Indian startup COSGrid Networks develops the RefleX-WAN Platform, with the aim of increasing application performance. The startup develops the platform around the RefleX Edge and RefleX CloudNF infrastructure. These solutions then integrate with RefleX Guider, a centralized installation, configuration, and real-time monitoring solution to simplify the orchestration of data flow through the networks. Together, the startup’s products allow companies to boost their internet application performance, improve network security, and simplify operations. As a result, users of the platform significantly reduce their capital & operating expenditures (CAPEX and OPEX) for networking.
What About The Other 675 Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence and enable you to achieve your goals faster. The 5 software-defined networking startups showcased above are promising examples out of the 680 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria, get in touch.
