Cumulus Networks Inc. is a system-software company helping to position Linux as the cornerstone of the modern data center. Shrijeet Mukherjee, vice president of engineering for Cumulus Networks joined Jeff Frick on theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, and explained how this startup is integrating all the components in the data center using Linux as the common language.

Addressing data bottlenecks

Mukherjee sees managing networks as the biggest bottleneck in modern data center sprawl. His company is using Linux to address the issue. “Linux networking is really easy to consume,” he explained. “You can install it into the core of your data center and go.”

The VP of engineering believes multiple companies have tried to tackle the bottleneck by building a better abstraction. The problem is that it can only hide the issue. To create a simpler system, he explained that the underlying infrastructure needs to speak the same language (i.e. Linux) as every other component in the system.

Network proliferation through open source

Open source as a concept requires give and take. So what does Cumulus add to the ecosystem and what do they get out of it?

According to Mukherjee, “Linux is our ecosystem, if the ecosystem doesn’t grow we don’t grow… the common use of Linux as a networking platform has to be proliferated.”

The company is working to create enterprise grade networking solutions in the open source environment. Mukherjee continued by saying, “Using Linux, we are making easily consumable automation tools that can work in a simplified way. If this fits into the global vision of a data center we benefit from it directly.”

Watch the full interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of LinuxCon 2015.

Photo by SiliconANGLE