Pensando is Transforming Switching Architecture. That’s a Good Thing.

Pensando’s distributed services switching architecture is changing the game for the better. Learn more about Pensando and all the benefits it brings.

Cybersecurity should be a top priority for every organization, from software providers to hospitals to schools. Without robust cybersecurity in place, bad actors can easily steal sensitive data, install ransomware or spyware, and generally wreak havoc. Not only can this cost you money, but it can also have a major reputational cost — one you may never recover from if current and potential future customers feel you can’t be trusted with their personal data.

Since cybercriminals are constantly improving their strategies, you need the best cybersecurity solutions to keep them out. Enter Pensando and the first distributed services switch, a groundbreaking development with plenty to offer those looking for better cybersecurity, improved network performance, simplified operations, and more.

All About Pensando

The brainchild of ex-Cisco CEO John Chambers, backed by HPE Aruba, and recently bought by high performance and adaptive computing leader AMD, Pensando is the next evolution of switching architecture. Pensando is poised to disrupt the cloud market by allowing users to access a customized cloud system and innovate much faster. That’s because the Pensando platform is built on the same technology as hyperscalers and can both compute at the edge and help organizations develop new architectures. Pensando is not only an IoT-, AI-, and 5G-capable platform, but it’s also programmable thanks to its P4 Data Processing Unit (DPU).

And that’s not all. The Pensando platform has also made the industry’s first distributed services switch, Aruba CX 10000, possible. The Aruba CX 10000 Series Switch has AMD Pensando DPU technology embedded in the data center Top Of Rack (TOR) and can serve as a building block of distributed services architecture in public, private, and hybrid environments.

This switch goes beyond traditional switching solutions. Using Aruba CX 10000 Pensando means expensive hardware and traffic bottlenecks will become a thing of network architecture’s past. Instead, Aruba CX 10000 users can extend leaf-spine networking and distribute their networking and security services more efficiently. After all, Aruba CX 10000 Pensando allows enterprises to apply networking and security services at the network access layer edge, not at a centralized policy enforcement point.

By distributing these services at the place where applications are running and workloads are processed rather than at a central point, the distributed services switch eliminates the need to send traffic back and forth across the network, a process that is both slow and expensive. With the Aruba CX 10000 switch, users don’t have to choose between high performance, a strong security posture, or simplified IT operations. They can have all three and can even get granular visibility and scalability as well. Using the Aruba CX 10000 switch means users can also expand Zero Trust network architecture deeper into their data center to better protect and service applications and workloads at the data center edge.

The Benefits of Distributed Services Architecture

Centralized security architecture has been a popular choice for countless organizations over the years. For a long time, it was the best option on the market, but the truth is that centralized, hardware-based security is no longer cutting it. Instead of offering cost-effective, top-tier performance, centralized security is inefficient, not to mention expensive. After all, centralized architecture and systems involve hair-pinning or tromboning traffic to the datacenter and back. Not only does this slow performance, but it also increases cost and greatly limits scale. Plus, centralized architecture and switches are difficult to manage, so consistently enforcing policies and gaining visibility is more difficult than it needs to be.

What’s more, centralized security architecture isn’t particularly secure since virtualized and containerized application traffic can stay local to either a physical rack, a host, or a virtual machine. As a result, some application traffic inevitably slips past your hardware firewall, intrusion prevention system (IPS), or other physical security devices altogether, creating significant security vulnerabilities and leaving organizations vulnerable to attacks.

Though traditional data center architectures are unsustainable for many organizations, distributed architectures provide the performance people need. With distributed architectures and distributed services switches like the Aruba CX 10000, enterprises can experience improved network bandwidth and performance since traffic won’t need to trombone across the network. This eliminates many chokepoints commonly found in centralized networking and can significantly reduce downtime.

Distributed architecture and distributed services switches also offer better security than traditional architectures and centralized security appliances. For example, the Aruba CX 10000 Series Switch is in its own class of switching solutions. It can quickly and easily inspect and protect east-west application traffic and distribute firewalling, encryption, and telemetry services.

What’s more, distributed architecture can simplify network complexity and operations as well as cut costs. Infrastructure service provisioning will be faster, and users can more easily deploy security agents across servers. Distributed architecture can also reduce appliance sprawl, making management easier. The Aruba CX 10000 features unified network and security policy management, allows users to extend Zero Trust deeper into the data center, and can be integrated with security and network performance tools, so you can get all the insights you need.

When it comes to organizations that could benefit from distributed services switches and distributed architecture, your mind may immediately jump to enterprises. However, the truth is that many more industries can use — and benefit from — distributed services switches. For example, schools with distributed services switches like Aruba CX 10000 will experience optimized network bandwidth and performance, meaning all their students can watch an assigned video simultaneously without encountering buffering issues. In retail, distributed services switches result in less appliance sprawl and can greatly simplify operations, saving everyone time and frustration. Distributed switching can also come in handy in healthcare, government, petrochem, and other industries.

Level Up With Turn-key Technologies, Inc.’s Help

Pensando is here, and it’s transforming the way we approach cybersecurity and networks in general. Instead of dealing with the expenses and overly complicated operations associated with traditional switches and centralized architectures, we can now use distributed switches and adopt new, decentralized architectures. The result is improved cybersecurity, optimized network bandwidth and performance, fewer chokepoints, less downtime, simplified operations, and less appliance sprawl.

Looking to upgrade your cybersecurity to protect your data and keep your systems up and running? Partner with Turn-key Technologies, Inc. (TTI). We have over 30 years of IT experience and employ industry-leading professionals who are ready to help your organization tackle all your technology and IT needs. We are also an Aruba partner and can help you find and install the perfect cybersecurity solutions for your organization. With TTI’s help, you can rest easy knowing you have a high-quality cybersecurity system that can protect your organization from bad actors.

Contact our team today to get started!