Arista CloudVision Overview
Arista CloudVision is a modern, multi-domain management platform designed to revolutionize network operations by leveraging cloud networking principles. This platform is integral to Arista’s Network as-a-Service model, aiming to simplify and streamline network management across various domains.
Key Features and Functionality
Multi-Domain Management
CloudVision provides a unified management experience across multiple network domains, including data centers, campus networks, WAN, and multi-cloud environments. This ensures consistent network operations and visibility, breaking down the complexity of siloed management approaches.
Cloud-Native Architecture
CloudVision is built on a cloud-native architecture, offering the same feature set whether deployed as a cloud service (SaaS) or on-premises using virtual or physical appliances. This flexibility allows organizations to choose the deployment model that best fits their needs.
Real-Time Telemetry and Analytics
The platform utilizes a Network Data Lake (NetDL) architecture, which streams real-time network state from all Arista EOS-based devices and selected third-party services. This real-time telemetry enables comprehensive network monitoring, historic state analysis, and forensic troubleshooting. The data is stored in a time-series manner, allowing operators to review past network states and pinpoint root cause anomalies.
Cognitive Analytics
CloudVision leverages cognitive analytics, using the rich data from NetDL to train AI/ML models. These models generate better recommendations and insights for network operators, enhancing network performance and troubleshooting capabilities.
Automation and Provisioning
CloudVision Studios offer turn-key automation for initial and ongoing provisioning, including Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) as-a-Service. This allows for automated configuration management, network-wide change control, automated upgrades, network rollback, and network snapshots. Operators can design, verify, and install configurations even before devices arrive on site.
Change Control and Compliance
The platform includes integrated change controls that enable operators to build templates for change actions, submit changes for review and approval, and include pre- and post-network state snapshots and verification tests. CloudVision also helps address audit and compliance requirements by tracking device inventory, configuration, and image versions, and providing real-time updates on bug alerts and security announcements.
Security Services
CloudVision supports Arista’s Multi-Domain Segmentation Service (MSS), which helps deploy micro-perimeters to restrict lateral data movement, enabling a true end-to-end zero-trust security posture. This extends security from the application to the user, even within virtual workload-based application environments.
Centralized API Gateway
The platform features a centralized API gateway for both northbound and southbound integrations, leveraging OpenConfig, gRPC, and REST APIs. This facilitates seamless integration with third-party IT operations, configuration management, deployment, and orchestration tools such as ServiceNow and Ansible.
User Interface and Dashboards
CloudVision offers a web-based portal with tailored dashboards for different operator roles, providing relevant inventory, client information, health metrics, and guided quick action workflows. This allows for end-to-end visibility and troubleshooting with a common set of tools and services across multiple domains.
In summary, Arista CloudVision is a powerful network management platform that combines real-time telemetry, cognitive analytics, and automation to deliver a simplified and efficient NetOps experience. Its multi-domain capabilities, cloud-native architecture, and robust security features make it an ideal solution for modern network environments.