Elevate critical infrastructure networks with Nextro and Arista
Critical infrastructure industries such as energy, water supply, healthcare, and transportation are the backbone of our society. They are crucial to ensuring public safety, economic stability, and country security.
As critical infrastructure managers continually embrace digital transformation, their corporate (IT) and operational (OT) networks must be able to efficiently manage large volumes of data, and the growing number of IoT devices, while securely integrating operational technologies, security equipment, and other devices with their systems. To keep their operations running seamlessly, critical infrastructure organisations rely heavily on robust, high-speed, efficient, and secure network solutions/architecture.
At Nextro, we understand that ensuring the reliability, operations, and security of critical infrastructure networks is of utmost importance not only for the organisations but the entire community. To this end, Nextro partnered with Arista Networks, an industry leader in data-driven, client-to-cloud networking for large data centre/AI, campus, and routing environments, to provide innovative network solutions tailored to meet the dynamic and growing demands of the critical infrastructure sector.
This article explores the importance of safeguarding critical infrastructure networks and how Arista Networks’ advanced switches and network solutions enable critical infrastructure organisations and managers to enhance their network availability, agility, automation, analytics, and security.
Arista’s solutions for critical infrastructure networks
Arista Networks is at the forefront of providing innovative cloud networking solutions to meet the highest performance, reliability, and security standards necessary for critical infrastructure operations. Their solutions include Extensible Operating System (EOS), network applications, and Ethernet switching and routing platforms. 
Check here how Arista’s solutions and Nextro can help critical infrastructure organisations:
1. High-Performance Switches
Arista’s switches are designed for high-performance, offering scalable bandwidth from 1Gbps to 400Gbps. They provide ultra-low latency, high throughput and scalability, ensuring real-time data processing essential for critical infrastructure operations that demand reliable, high-speed data transmission. Below are the two models of Arista’s high-performance switches that meet the needs of critical infrastructure and can be supplied by Nextro in New Zealand & Australia:
- 7000 series switches: designed for high-frequency trading, cloud data centres, and large enterprise environments. They support 10/25/40/50/100 Gigabit Ethernet and are known for their modularity and high-density configurations.
- 7500R series switches: engineered for the most demanding data centre environments. They offer exceptional performance, support for up to 400 Gigabit Ethernet and features designed to handle massive amounts of data traffic with minimal latency.
2. Extensible Operating System (EOS)
Arista EOS is a highly modular and fully programmable operating system that delivers workflow automation, high availability, unparalleled network visibility and analytics capabilities.
Arista EOS integrates seamlessly with a wide range of third-party applications, automation tools, and scripting languages, enabling network administrators to customise and automate network functions and workflows. It can also scale to hundreds of thousands of compute and storage nodes with management and provisioning capabilities that work at scale.
EOS ensures optimal network performance and troubleshooting issues by harnessing advanced features, including analytics, network telemetry, and real-time monitoring.
Designed for resiliency and programmability, Arista EOS provides a robust software foundation and allows for solutions customised to the specific needs of critical infrastructure sectors, ensuring optimal performance and security.
3. CloudVision: Unified Management and Automation
Managing complex network environments can be challenging, particularly in critical infrastructure organisations. Arista’s CloudVision platform offers unified management, simplifying network operations and enhancing security. CloudVision’s real-time telemetry and analytics enhance network visibility, monitoring, and control.
CloudVision’s centralised approach enables network administrators to oversee and efficiently manage complex and large-scale deployments from a single interface, reducing operational complexity, improving response time and mitigating risks.
The platform leverages cloud networking and integrates various automation tools and orchestration frameworks, enabling streamlined operations and reduced manual intervention. At Nextro, we know that this is crucial for maintaining high availability and scaling infrastructure in response to changing demands.
4. Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN)
Arista’s VXLAN technology enhances network segmentation, vital for isolating sensitive data and protecting critical systems. By segmenting the network, organisations can minimise the impact of potential breaches and effectively contain threats.
Benefits of Arista’s Network Solutions for Critical Infrastructure
Nextro can help its critical infrastructure customers achieve the following benefits when deploying Arista switches and other solutions:
1. Improved Operational Efficiency
With high-performance switches and routers, Arista network solutions cater to the demanding requirements of critical infrastructure. Their devices provide high-speed data transmission with minimal latency and maximum throughput, allowing critical infrastructure organisations to enhance operational efficiency, reduce downtime, and ensure continuous and reliable service delivery.
2. Scalability and Flexibility
Critical infrastructure systems must often scale quickly to accommodate growing demands or integrate new technologies. Arista’s software-driven solutions allow critical infrastructure organisations to adapt and expand their networks without compromising performance. The flexibility and scalability of Arista’s solutions, such as EOS (EOS), enable seamless integration with existing systems and technologies, ensuring that critical infrastructure can scale and evolve without disruption.
3. Proactive Threat Detection and Response
With the real-time telemetry and analytics capabilities offered by Arista’s CloudVision platform, organisations can proactively detect anomalies and threats to their networks. This allows them to respond swiftly to potential incidents, minimise damage, and ensure rapid recovery.
4. Enhanced Security
Critical infrastructure networks are exposed to various cybersecurity threats, which can cause significant disruptions to their operations, compromise the availability and integrity of vital services, and lead to catastrophic consequences. Therefore, security is paramount in critical infrastructure.
Arista Networks incorporates advanced security features into its solutions, including segmentation, encryption, and real-time threat detection. By leveraging these capabilities, Nextro helps organisations protect their networks from cybersecurity threats and unauthorised access, safeguarding vital operations and sensitive data.
Protecting critical infrastructure networks from cybersecurity threats is essential to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of vital services and the safety of our society. At Nextro, we understand the challenges these industries face and provide best-of-breed solutions to meet their needs.
Together with Arista Networks, Nextro delivers advanced switches and comprehensive network solutions that provide the security, reliability, and performance needed to safeguard critical infrastructure. By leveraging Arista’s innovative networking solutions, organisations can enhance their resilience against cybersecurity threats, ensuring the continued operation and security of the services we rely on daily.
To learn more about how Arista’s solutions can elevate your network, operations, and security, get in touch with the Nextro team today. We are ready to help you implement the right best-of-breed solutions to optimise the operation of your critical infrastructure while at the same time meeting your security needs. Nextro is a certified and trained Arista Networks partner.