Riverbed updated its SD-WAN, improving routing for large networks and also integrating SD-WAN, application acceleration, visibility, and security in a single device. The company also announced new subscription pricing for its SD-WAN, which now has more than 1,000 customers.

Improvements to the core routing stack now enable support for large and complex enterprises networks that require interoperability between SD-WAN and legacy networks. Additionally, it integrates with third-party network security vendors including the Zscaler cloud security platform.

Existing customers can access in-field upgrades to expand the capabilities of prior investments to include advanced SD-WAN, network security services, WAN optimization.

Riverbed’s SD-WAN provides connectivity and policy-based orchestration across the network — including LAN/WLAN, data center, and the cloud. It includes one-click automated connectivity into Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS), and it integrates with Riverbed’s performance monitoring platform, SteelCentral, and its WAN optimization and edge platform, SteelHead SD.

Cisco, another leading SD-WAN vendor, also updated its SD-WAN product this week with integrated security and cloud-managed IT services.

Riverbed’s SD-WAN strategy also seems to be gaining traction among customers — and analysts — as evidenced by recent market reports.

Riverbed gained revenue share in the SD-WAN market according to IHS Markit’s latest numbers. The vendor grew its fourth quarter 2017 revenue to $2.5 million, up from $1.7 million in the third quarter.

“Riverbed is starting to get more traction with their strategy,” IHS Markit analyst Cliff Grossner told SDxCentral. He’s referring to the fact that Riverbed started with WAN optimization and then tapped into SD-WAN. “Riverbed now has the large client base they can start to mine in a substantive way,” Grossner added.

And in its first Magic Quadrant for WAN Edge Infrastructure, published last month, Gartner placed Riverbed in the “Challenger” quadrant. Gartner states that quadrant is for vendors that execute well enough to be a serious threat to the vendors in the "Leaders" quadrant. Gartner also placed Fortinet, Aryaka, Citrix, and Huawei in the "Challenger" category. VMware, Cisco, and SilverPeak were installed in the "Leader" quadrant.