Although barely into its initial adoption phase, the network function virtualization (NFV) space is already seeing consolidation, as networking incumbents look to get on board with a technology that could disrupt their core businesses.

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. became the latest big-name supplier to buy its way in on Monday with the acquisition of Vistapointe Inc., a provider of infrastructure monitoring software for mobile operators. The two-year-old startup offers a suite of integrated products aimed at enabling carriers to better understand and optimize their infrastructure.

The heart of the company’s portfolio is the Vistapointe Analysis and Correlation Engine (VACE), which consists of four discreet modules that work in tandem to scan the vast amounts of information traversing provider networks for information that can be used to improve performance.

VACE comes with a pre-loaded repository of device specifications, user statistics and other metrics that serve as the base dataset. Over time, the pool is expanded with information specific to the environment that’s collected through the data aggregation component of Vistapointe’s lineup, VIPE, which hooks into standard network interfaces and forwards relevant packets to VACE for processing.

The analytical heavy-lifting is performed in the DyNSP module, which compares the real-time transmissions from VIPE against the information in the built-in repository to provide what the company  describes as a continuously updated view of infrastructure and traffic. The output from DyNSP can be used to power other functions such as mobile alerts and automated management policies. Customers also have the option of exporting that data to front-end tools like Vistapointe’s ViViD dashboard, which rounds out its portfolio with a straightforward graphical presentation layer.

Beyond hardware

The acquisition, the financial terms of which were not disclosed, is a continuation of Brocade’s efforts to move beyond the proprietary hardware business that the software-defined networking wave threatens to disrupt. The deal builds on the company’s 2012 purchase of open-source routing specialist Vyatta Inc., an early leader in software-defined networking, and reflects the growing trend of traditional data center connectivity vendors to buy in to the developing market.

Just a few months after Brocade picked up Vyatta, partner Emulex Corp. made its own entry into the network monitoring space with the purchase of New Zealand’s Endace Inc., which competed one level below Vistapointe at the infrastructure layer. And earlier this year, industry kingpin Cisco Systems Inc. shelled out $175 million for Tail-f AB, a Swedish orchestration provider  that has positioned itself as the missing link in network software virtualization.

Vistapointe will be absorbed into Brocade and form a new group within its switching, routing, and analytics business under the leadership of current head Ravi Medikonda, who previously led product management at Cisco competitor Juniper Networks Inc. He will report to theCUBE alumnus Jason Nolet.

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