The Top 9 Network Virtualization Solutions

Array Networks was founded in 2000 with a focus on integrating traffic management in cloud environments – this has resulted in more streamlined and simplified security, infrastructure, and management. Array’s AVX series network platform can host 32 independent Virtual Appliances (VAs) to give your organization flexibility and allow you to harness multiple benefits simultaneously.

Array AVX Series Features:

• Ability to assign dedicated CPU, SSL, memory, and interface to individual VAs
• Scope to run 32 VAs means that management is simplified and sprawl is reduced
• Improves security through linking multiple security features together, thereby enhancing their overall effectiveness
• Can host third-party VAs using KVM, Ubuntu, or CentOS

Product Type: Hyper-converged infrastructure

Expert Insights’ Comments: Array AVX Series is a highly functional solution designed with enterprise-level MSPs in mind, so it is incredibly versatile, with a good number of customizable features to ensure that the solution can adapt to your way of working. As it is a complete platform, it is a streamlined and effective solution that is more than the sum of its parts, offering easier management across a unified toolset.

Since 1993, Check Point has been protecting organizations from a range of cybersecurity threats. They currently secure over 100,000 organizations of all sizes, globally. Check Point Virtual Systems consolidates and simplifies security for private clouds through virtualization. This solution is part of Check Point’s CloudGuard Network (security solution) and therefore benefits from interconnected security features like firewalls, DLP, VPNs, and URL filtering.

Check Point Virtual Systems Features:

• 13 cluster gateways with Virtual System Load Sharing (VSLS) features make this solution highly scalable
• VM isolation – each domain can have fully customizable security and policy configuration
• Multiple VMs can be deployed within a single physical server
• Can be deployed in layer-2 bridge mode and co-exist with layer-3 VMs on the same VS gateway

Product Type: Hypervisor

Expert Insights’ Comments: Check Point Virtual Systems enables you to run multiple security gateways from a single hardware device. This results in integrated and streamlined security implementation, as well as large cost savings. Check Point’s solution is very secure thanks to its positioning within the CloudGuard Network Platform. We would recommend this solution to organizations who need robust and advanced security features for their virtual network.

Cisco is a leading cyber and technology company that offers solutions to manage communication, security, and networking. They have been operating since 1984 and are well recognized across a range of sectors. Enterprise Network Functions Virtualization is their solution for deploying virtualized networks and application services.

Cisco Enterprise NFV Features:

• Flexible deployment options – physical, virtual, third-party devices, and network services
• Ability to orchestrate and manage services, ensuring incident response and maintenance is completed in a timely manner
• Allows you to free up resources and roll out changes more quickly

Product Type: Hypervisor

Expert Insights’ Comments: Cisco Enterprise NFV is a comprehensive platform that enhances the virtualization experience from deployment to orchestration and management. The solution is well reviewed by current users, who praise its functionality and effectiveness. Ultimately, this is a reliable solution for easing the management of virtual machines, thereby reducing operational costs.

Donglify is a company that was founded to solve a very specific problem – when a user needs access to a licensed USB key to unlock the functionality of that key, but a physical connection is not possible, Donglify will make shared USB dongles appear in a remote system as if they were physically plugged in.

Donglify Features:

• 2048-bit SSL encryption
• No additional hardware is required
• Use sharable login tokens to gain access
• Supports a wide range of USB dongles

Product Type: Virtual USB networking solution

Expert Insights’ Comments: Donglify has a very specific use case – when you need a USB dongle to access a service, but don’t have the dongle to hand. This uses network virtualization technology to use the dongle as a virtual device, then to allow access from other locations. As this has such a specific use case, it would be suitable for organizations of all size, so long as they have a need for a virtualized USB.

Gigamon provides a platform that gives organizations greater visibility over their cloud infrastructure, providing them with actionable insights and intelligence into their network traffic. Gigamon’s GigaVUE Cloud Suite for VMware provides this visibility for virtual network environments.

GigaVUE-VM Features:

• Provides insights into “east-west” traffic flows between virtual machines and lateral threats
• Optimizes the transmission of data to improve efficiency and cost savings
• Identifies and provides contextualized insights for over 5,000 applications
• De-duplicates, filters, and balances load to improve efficiency
• Automatically and dynamically provisions new tenants as groups scale

Product Type: Virtual visibility and management platform

Expert Insights’ Comments: Rather than being a tool to facilitate network virtualization, GigaVUE-VM allows organizations greater insight into their network traffic and activities. This enables organizations to ensure that their virtual network is working effectively and is properly optimized. We would recommend this solution for organization, particularly enterprise level, who already have a virtualization solution in place, and require greater visibility over its activities.

Microsoft is one of the largest tech companies is the world, with a strong enterprise offering, as well as their consumer-focused hardware and software. Hyper-V is Microsoft’s hardware virtualization solution – it allows you to use hardware devices digitally, providing flexibility and versatility.

Microsoft Hyper-V Features:

• Hyper-V Replica allows VMs to be replicated to different sites for quick restoration and disaster recovery
• Easy migration – move a VM to a different Hyper-V host without suspending running applications
• Remote connectivity allows admin to access Hyper-V VMs indirectly
• BitLocker technology secure VMs from tampering and malware attacks

Product Type: Hypervisor

Expert Insights’ Comment: Microsoft’s Hyper-V is an effective and easy-to-use hypervisor solution that enables organizations to virtualize their hardware products. The solution is effective at what it does, though it does not offer all the features and functionality of the more complex hypervisors on the market. We would recommend this solution to organizations who need an effective solution that is easy to manage and deploy.

OpenText is a Canadian Enterprise Information Management (EIM) organization. They have been operating since 1991 and work with 98 of Fortune 100 companies, as well as over 120,000 customers in 180 countries. Their network virtualization solution – Exceed TurboX – is a secure tool for allowing access to virtualized desktops. This allows employees to access a network from wherever they are, whilst retaining security procedures.

OpenText Exceed TurboX Features:

• Support for high-performance graphical software – use cases include product design, video, and 3D rendering
• Centralized web portal allows admin to monitor and manage user access and set policies
• Resume sessions from different devices, improving productivity due to interruption or change of device
• Support for NVDIA vGPU – a single graphics card can be split across 16 virtual machines, which makes accessing 3D applications a quick process

Product Type: Hypervisor 

Expert Insights’ Comments: OpenText Exceed TurboX is a network visualization tool that is designed for graphics-heavy workloads. Whether it is video design, CAD modelling, or another intensive process, OpenText’s solution ensures that your production isn’t slowed down by resource-intensive technology.

Sangfor is a comprehensive network security and cloud computing organization, founded in 2000. They offer several innovative cybersecurity solutions that include next-gen firewalls, secure web gateways, endpoint protection, and anti-ransomware tools. Their hyper-converged infrastructure enables the virtualization of servers, storage, network, and security systems.

Sangfor HCL Features:

• Distributed resource scheduling
• Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA)
• Integrated security infrastructure – web-application firewall, next-gen firewall, and EDR
• Multiple Disaster Recovery Management (DRM) solutions on offer – including active-active and active-passive DR

Product Type: Hyper-converged infrastructure

Expert Insights’ Comments: Sangfor’s HCI is a comprehensive and effective solution. As it is an HCI, not only does it enable virtualized networking, but it will also provide virtualized computing and software-defined storage. The solution is designed to be scalable, so that its capacity will expand as your organization grows. We would recommend Sangfor HCI for organizations who are looking for a complete network virtualization and management solution.

Founded in 1998, VMware was one of the first companies to tackle network virtualization. Today, they provide a range of multi-cloud services to enhance digital innovation at the enterprise level. VMware NSX is a network virtualization platform that allows you to control your entire network from a single interface.

VMware NSX Features:

• One click provisioning with complete L2-L7 stack
• Granular protection with network segmentation and (micro) segmentation of individual workflows
• Simplifies operations and optimizes traffic flows to reduce costs
• Manage entire network – VM, container, or bare metal – from a single pane of glass

Product Type: Hypervisor

Expert Insights’ Comments: VMware is a trusted company in the network virtualization space. Their products meet a wide number of use cases and have a significant list of integrations to ensure they can be deployed in most environments. We would recommend VMware NSX for enterprise organizations that need a hypervisor that can help to increase productivity and service delivery. The VMware ecosystem is extensive, meaning that there is a wide range of solutions that can be used in conjunction with their NSX product.