Amazon is set to take on the networking hardware landscape, The Information claims-- the online bookseller turned cloud giant reportedly plans to start selling low-cost whitebox datacentre switches.
According to the report, the Amazon switches will undercut comparable networking products by 70-80%, making for a massive swipe in the face of networking giants such as Cisco. Based on the technology found inside AWS datacentres, the switches should ship with pre-installed software for connection with AWS compute and storage, making it easier for customers to build build hybrid cloud infrastructure.
The Information has two sources, one directly involved and the other briefed on the project. They state Amazon plans to launch the switches in the "next 18 months" through manufacturing partners Celestica, Edgecore Networks and Delta Networks, among others.
The news marks an interesting change in position for Amazon-- once a stalwart public cloud champion, the company has softened its stance to the point it now even has a partnership in hybrid cloud with VMware. It has also hit other networking vendors, since Cisco, Juniper Networks and Arista Networks share prices dropped following publication of the story.
Go Amazon Web Services Targets Cisco in Networking (The Information, registration required)
