Some interesting changes have occurred in networking. For example, Enterprise networks, nowadays looks a lot more like data center (core, distribution/aggregatation, access) collapsed to (Leaf and Spine). And L3 replaced Spanning Tree.
But more pertinent is to understand how did Cisco respond when SDN became a household word?
They responded with the Nexus 9000 series, of course. The 9000 series (some of which) can be used as either leaf OR spine (depending on the level of scale in your enterprise (or data center)).
With the Nexus 9000 series Cisco has added the ability to manage hosts of switches with Software As A Service (or SAS). This means that Cisco added a REST-API.
A REST-API is a fancy word for HTTP commands that perform Gets and Puts to control the Nexus 9000 series network devices.
Simply put, Cisco, SDN comes in two main flavors. ACI and APIC-EM.
> ACI is Cisco's SDN for the Data Center and Cloud.
> APIC-EM is Cisco's SDN for the Enterprise
(By the way, EM stands for Enterprise Module. Yes. Innovative, I know.)
That in a nutshell is Cisco's entire end-game for innovation for the last 20 years.
They don't have Google Cloud.
They don't have Amazon Cloud.
They don't have IBM Cloud.
They don't have Microsoft Cloud.
In fact, they don't have any Cloud.
Cisco does not control any Cisco cloud at all.
It seems that Cisco never intended to develop a Cloud business at all. Instead Cisco is relying on Cloud companies to pay them for the following core products and SERVICES:
a - Nexus 9000.
b - ACI (Cloud providers)
c - APIC-EM (Data Center)
If ACI / APIC-EM fails, it could k–l Cisco's golden goose.
If Google, Amazon, Microsoft, et all, decided they don't want Cisco's ACI what would happen?
It would wipe out Cisco.
Is this what is happening (right now) as we speak?