Juniper = Networking, right? Well, that's not quite true anymore.
Juniper still offers lots of great networking equipment, but we've also been growing our software offerings for the past few years (albeit a bit quietly) and this year at JavaOne we really wanted to showcase what we're doing.
No longer does Juniper only = Networking, but Juniper also = better web applications for developers.
We call this "programmable networking" but I think of it more as intelligent development with a self-adjusting network to make your apps work/run better & faster and include more data that can provide your end-users with better experiences. Long-winded, but that's essentially what it means (no lingo there folks).
Why does this matter for you as a developer and how are we doing this?
Current situation:
- IT is transforming as technologies are increasingly moving to the cloud
- If you sit in IT, it's no longer just "good enough" to add value by saving money and optimizing equipment - you have to add value to your company.
- Good information is often stuck in silos - organizational and technology silos. From databases to networking boxes, good data is tough to get.
- The current offerings of developer tools out there now aren't *great* to get this data - cludgy, clunky, and hard to use.
- The pressure of changes to systems or applications to be built in days instead of weeks or months.
Juniper's vision for a programmable network is changing this. Let me explain how this applies to application developers:
- Juniper is essentially unlocking the network (black box) for developers to utilize data in their applications. This means better data. More real-time information. And better performance and end-user experience for applications (ie: faster, more personalized apps).
- We're decoupling software from systems - so you can go do what you want with previously unavailable data.
- With the IT situation outlined above, the goal is to make everything programmable - for developers to alter, utilize, build, export, etc - simply. RESTful APIs. New Protocols. And more intelligent tools that you actually already know how to use (ie: Eclipse IDE).
- We have a few tools, the Junos Space SDK and the Junos SDK - that offer APIs into these network elements for the data to be pulled out and utilized in your applications.
- We're working with new protocols and standards to help drive programmability not only into the networking boxes but also into your applications. For example:
- Applications that are aware of the network: you can now utilize previously unavailable data from the network when building apps. You can now use code to make the network adapt to what you need for your app.
- Networks that are aware of applications: Which path is the best for your app to go through the network to reach your end-user faster? How to do you load-balance traffic to make this happen? We're working on technologies that make this happen real time and with LOTS less work. Coding to use network value natively inside of applications.
Bottom line? You can now build what you want, with you want. With great tools. Potential has been fully unlocked. You have the keys to make better, more intelligent, and faster apps. Creativity is up to you.
For more details, check out our Slideshare account on how we're making this a reality.
We'd love feedback on what we're doing. What else can we do? How can we better help you build your applications?
You can always reach me at lcooney@juniper.net - and for more info, follow us at @junosdeveloper for updated information on this.
Oh, and PS: We have something BIG coming in November. You'll have to wait to find out about that, but let's just say it ties LOTS of this together :)
/LC
