Company:Forward Networks
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| Industry | Computer software |
|---|---|
| Founded | July 23, 2013 |
| Founder | David Erickson, Nikhil Handigol, Brandon Heller, Peyman Kazemian |
| Headquarters | Santa Clara, California |
| Website | https://www.forwardnetworks.com/ |
Forward Networks, Inc. is an American company founded in Palo Alto, California and headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The company develops enterprise software for network management and software-defined networking.[1]
History
Forward Networks was founded by David Erickson, Nikhil Handigol, Brandon Heller, and Peyman Kazemian, who met as Ph.D researchers at Stanford University. While operating software-defined networking deployments running OpenFlow[2] at the university,[3] Erickson, Handigol, Heller, and Kazemian built a software platform based on Kazemian's research at Stanford for his electrical engineering dissertation.[4] Kazemian's research enabled the use of configuration data and operational state information from devices on a network to create a virtual copy of that network.[5]
Until November 2016, the company operated in stealth mode[6] and raised $16 million in funding by DFJ,[7] with participation from Andreesen Horowitz.[8]
In October 2019 the company raised $35 million in Series C funding led by Goldman Sachs, also a customer of the company.[9]
In January of 2023, following 139% year-over-year growth, Forward Networks announced it closed $50M in Series D funding.[10] The round was led by MSD Partners with support from new investors, Section 32 and Omega Venture Partners.
Forward Networks' other customers include PayPal, Ubisoft, and Telstra.[11]
Intent-based networking
Intent-based networking (IBN), a term coined by Gartner in 2017 describes a system designed to automate a network lifecycle from design and implementation to deployment and validation.[12]
Forward Networks' technology focuses on verification with regards to intent-based networking. The platform generates a mathematical model of the network to perform functions such as composing timestamped collections of network configurations and state information of a network infrastructure.[13] The product is marketed as a network assurance platform[14] called Forward Enterprise.[15]
See also
References
- ↑ "Forward Networks Inc - Company Profile and News". https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/1314286D:US.
- ↑ "Startup Aims To Simplify Network Management". 2016-11-14. https://www.networkcomputing.com/data-centers/startup-aims-simplify-network-management.
- ↑ Butler, Brandon (2016-11-14). "Startup Forward Networks helps search, protect and predict network behavior". https://www.networkworld.com/article/3140941/startup-forward-networks-helps-search-protect-and-predict-network-behavior.html.
- ↑ "Accelerating and De-Risking Network Operations | Forward Networks | David Erickson". 2018-01-16. https://www.insightssuccess.com/forward-networks-accelerating-de-risking-network-operations/.
- ↑ "Forward Networks creates digital twins to assure network performance". https://www.fiercetelecom.com/telecom/forward-networks-creates-digital-twins-to-assures-network-performance.
- ↑ "Forward Networks nets $16M to help prevent network outages". http://social.techcrunch.com/2017/08/23/forward-networks-nets-16m-to-help-prevent-network-outages/.
- ↑ DFJ (2017-08-23). "Fast Forward with Forward Networks". https://medium.com/dfj-vc/fast-forward-with-forward-networks-38ca91a38222.
- ↑ Krause, Bill (2016-11-14). "Déjà Vu All Over Again with Forward Networks". https://a16z.com/2016/11/14/forward-networks/.
- ↑ "The Wave of Digital Media Consolidation Isn't Over Yet". https://fortune.com/2019/10/08/term-sheet-tuesday-october-8/.
- ↑ Lunden, Ingrid (2023-01-24). "Forward Networks raises $50M for digital twin technology to help model, manage and secure complex enterprise networks" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/24/forward-networks-raises-50m-for-digital-twin-technology-to-help-model-manage-and-secure-complex-enterprise-networks/.
- ↑ "Network Verification Software" (in en-US). https://www.forwardnetworks.com/.
- ↑ "Intent-based network: the next big thing?". https://www.networkmiddleeast.com/84677-intent-based-networking-the-next-big-thing.
- ↑ Arcilla, Alex. "ESG Technical Review: Verifying Network Intent with Forward Enterprise". https://www.esg-global.com/validation/esg-technical-review-verifying-network-intent-with-forward-enterprise.
- ↑ "NFD13: Forward Networks Comes Out of Stealth to Impress". 2016-12-22. https://netcraftsmen.com/nfd13-forward-networks-comes-stealth-impress/.
- ↑ Inc, Gartner. "Forward Networks Network Automation Software Reviews" (in en). https://gartner.com/market/network-automation/vendor/forward-networks.[|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
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