Key Points
- Arista Networks combines branch office security and SD-WAN in a single AI-powered Edge Threat Management (ETM) platform for VeloCloud SD-WAN.
- Enterprise admins can automate security policies using Arista’s AVA virtual assistant, which translates rulebook AI-policy updates into plain English for configuration checks.
- ETM integrates with Network Detection and Response tools to flag suspicious hosts and enforce network-wide segmentation policies across branches.
What is changing
Arista Networks launched Edge Threat Management (ETM), adding security to VeloCloud SD-WAN, the widely-used software for connecting branch networks with the public cloud. The new platform keeps edge routers, switches, and firewall appliances consistent via shared management consoles. Security policies can be applied with mouse click shaping, and updates are rolled out simultaneously across all endpoints. This is available for both physical and virtualized networks.
The ETM rollout uses AI assistant AVA to simplify security policy management, letting IT admins ask questions like “How will this employee’s traffic be protected?” before enforcement surfaces. The assistant proposes policy changes through typical GenAI-style chats. New policies are adopted in bulk via prebuilt templates, with required changes automatically pushed to endpoints. This integration occurs in the VeloCloud Orchestrator
Why it matters
CIOs and branch network teams benefit most from the unified endpoint and active enforcement of consistent policy between firewalls, WAN routers, and endpoints. Arista’s CEO claims this removes the friction of handling “five or six different firewalls, routers, and switches,” enabling security teams to fight blind spots vulnerable to isolation beyond organizational controls. The same unified approach simplifies compliance with security regulations
Arista states ETM will eliminate nearly half of security policy errors that create digital blindspots in branches. Merging security policies with network routing gets rid of an estimated 95% of manual operations. The AI assistant has suffered feedback from enterprise environments, but customers are asking about the claims
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