Overview

pForward Networks has developed the first accurate software model of large multi-vendor networks to quickly emulate and analyze all possible behavior. The solution is designed to help network teams eliminate network outages and reduce time to remediate errors./p pIts logical analysis of possible future network activity is an enormous leap from traditional low-level testing tools, like ping and traceroute, or sifting through log files only after a policy violation has occurred. The platform enables engineers and operators to visualize and search complex networks, debug configuration problems, verify network-wide policy implementations, and predict network behavior prior to deploying changes./p

Supernova Award Category

Tech Optimization and Modernization

The Problem

pEven before packets start flowing, enterprise networks are complex repositories of information. This information is often required to solve operational issues—like finding sources of unwanted traffic drops or protocol configuration errors—or, to find problems before they become issues./p pAnswering even basic questions about a network can be challenging. /p pIn this use case, Forward Networks quantifies the ROI of a large financial services firm and document the process improvements that led to IT cost savings and a more agile Network./p pIn this analysis, we will look at process improvements in trouble ticket resolution, audit-related fixes and acceleration of network updates and change windows. /p pAudit related problems, common within financial institutions, are defined as any item within the Forward Platform that is found by using the “predefined check” library./p pTypically, audit related items are bulk remediated by a small team of network engineers. Audit processes are very detailed and time consuming: 95% of the time is spent inspecting network elements that do not exhibit the problem, simply verifying that they are configured correctly. 5% of the time is spent remediating failed network elements./p

The Solution

p Forward Enterprise transforms the way large networks are managed by examining network designs and predicting future behaviors to eliminate configuration errors and policy violations, no matter how large or complex the network may be.  /p pThe platform reveals inconsistencies between the intent of the network designers and actual real-life behavior in order to expose any irregularities, potential vulnerabilities, policy violations, or outage risk. The behavioral capabilities, and the applications built on top, work to verify network implementations through a behaviorally-accurate software model of the network. This software can determine whether policy violations could occur under any scenarios or set of conditions, allowing IT teams to act faster and to expose problems prior to a security breach or a network outage./p pForward's robust network verification platform results in stronger, more reliable networks, reduced outages, and reduced business risk./p

The results

pAs shown in Forward Network’s Financial Institution use case, Forward Enterprise reduces the number of change windows needed to accomplish complex changes within the network. Roughly one third of changes fail because of change procedures, unexpected network conditions, or user error. Forward Enterprise creates a snapshot at the beginning of the change window and another snapshot at the end of the change window. After pushing all changes to the network, the operator can automatically verify that all services are functional. /p pForward Networks has delivered the first behaviorally-accurate software model of large enterprise networks. /p pOur platform provides a revolutionary approach to analyzing and troubleshooting complex network issues, as well as allowing functional validation of network designs. /p pUsing Forward Enterprise, troubleshooting steps are completely automated and reduced to effectively zero time spent. These steps are done instantaneously as the network engineer begins troubleshooting. Forward Enterprise is designed to highlight network paths, including traffic origin and destination that could potentially result in an error or policy violation. All paths that either support or violate a defined policy or requirement are immediately highlighted for further analysis./p

Metrics

pWithin the study, Forward Networks was able to calculate the costs of managing network trouble tickets, audit resolution and change window processes using time and financial variables from a large financial customer of Forward Networks. /p p /p pThe comparison of costs is highlighted below to show operational costs today versus operational costs with Forward./p p Overall, reduction in costs related to ticket resolution, audit related fixes and change windows was $67,985/week and $3,535,201/year./p p /p p align="center"bOperational Costs/b/p p align="center"bToday/b/p p align="center"bWith Forward/b/p p align="center" /p p align="center"Per Week / Per Year/p p align="center"Per Week / Per Year/p p align="center"Hrs. Spent on Ticket Resolution/p p align="center"1,800 / 93,600/p p align="center"1,350 / 70,200/p p align="center"Hrs. Spent on Audit Related Fixes/p p align="center"600 / 31,200/p p align="center"384 / 19,968/p p align="center"Hrs. Spent on Change Windows/p p align="center"92 / 4,800/p p align="center"78 / 4,080/p

The Technology

pThe platform uses device configuration data and state information from every network device, including switches, routers, load balancers and firewalls, to imitate the behavior of the entire network. Forward's advanced software delivers a "digital twin" of the network, enabling network operators to verify intent, predict network behavior, avoid outages, and simplify network management./p

Disruptive Factor

pIn this analysis, Forward Networks’ product achieved benefits resulting in an annualized net savings of over $3.5 million. When considering the process improvements of remediating trouble tickets, Forward Networks estimated saving 25% of man-hours on trouble ticket remediation, or over 23,000 hours per year./p pForward Enterprise provides a revolutionary approach to analyzing and troubleshooting complex network issues, as well as allowing functional validation of network designs. /p pCost savings from leveraging Forward Enterprise can be a significant percentage of network IT spending when factored over the three areas of trouble ticket resolution, audit-related fixes and reduced number of change windows. Based on these process improvements and savings, we expect intent-based verification to be an important part of IT networking strategy and future network automation projects./p

Shining Moment

pForward Networks prides itself on maintaining 5-star ratings on Gartner Peer Insights as customer satisfaction is fundamental to the company’s mission. Forward Networks has structured their product, Forward Enterprise, to address the difficulties and to meet the needs of network administrators and their success is highlighted among the reviews. The perfect raintings validate Forward Enterprises’ software capabilities to manage complicated network environments./p