Arista’s acquisition of Broadcom’s VeloCloud SD-WAN portfolio marks a strategic leap into the branch and WAN market. As of July 2025, Arista Networks – long known for data center switching – now owns VeloCloud’s cloud-based SD-WAN and security stack. This move brings a proven SD-WAN platform (originally VMware’s technology) into Arista’s portfolio, bridging campus and WAN. The combination promises unified networking from campus to cloud: VeloCloud’s secure, AI-optimized Cloud WAN now complements Arista’s high-performance wired and wireless campus infrastructure. Arista CEO Jayshree Ullal emphasizes that this “Arista + VeloCloud” integration will deliver modern, application-aware WAN solutions for customers globally. In short, Arista is extending its reach beyond data centers and campuses into distributed branch networking – a move driven by the needs of today’s cloud and AI workloads.
In an era of pervasive cloud and AI, enterprise WANs must evolve. Arista’s executives argue that the rise of agentic AI and distributed data demands more than traditional WAN designs. Where old WANs centered on many‐to‐one traffic to corporate data centers, AI era traffic is “any-to-any,” encrypted, and latency-sensitive. Arista’s vision is to apply its proven leaf-spine, cloud networking architecture to the WAN. As Ullal explains, integrating VeloCloud enables “leaf/spoke” branch topologies with features like multipathing, encryption, telemetry, segmentation and traffic engineering – effectively creating a modern SD-WAN hub/spine and leaf architecture. This unified approach aligns WAN and LAN, ensuring that campus networks and branch offices share the same intelligent infrastructure.
By adding VeloCloud, Arista now offers cloud-delivered SD-WAN with built-in security and wireless support. The VeloCloud edges include integrated next-gen firewall and application-aware SD-WAN, and many models even have built-in Wi-Fi and 5G cellular radios. This means a branch router could support fiber, LTE/5G and Wi-Fi simultaneously, all managed centrally. On the other side, Arista’s portfolio gains: the new PoE‑capable branch switch (710XP) and a family of indoor/outdoor Wi-Fi 7 access points. For example, Arista now sells a compact 12-port PoE switch (710XP) for small offices, plus cost-effective Wi-Fi 7 APs (C-400 indoor, O-435 outdoor) for branches. Together, the Arista campus switching/Wi-Fi portfolio merges seamlessly with VeloCloud’s branch edge. Enterprises can now outfit a network of branch sites using Arista’s switches and APs, all connected and optimized through VeloCloud’s SD-WAN and Cloud Vision management.
The merger greatly enhances enterprises’ ability to deploy secure, high-performance WAN and SASE solutions. VeloCloud’s SD-WAN already included Security Service Edge (SSE) capabilities: zero-trust access, end-to-end encryption, built-in firewall, secure web gateway, and threat detection. Now these run alongside Arista’s campus security tools (like CloudVision AGNI for network access control) to provide end-to-end Zero Trust from the data center to every branch and campus device. In practice, branches get encrypted tunnels and granular policies; branch-to-branch traffic is segmented; and any device (on wired LAN or Wi-Fi) can be authenticated under the same Zero Trust framework. The result is a single, unified platform for SD-WAN, SASE and Zero Trust networking. Businesses benefit from dynamic path selection and application-aware routing (so high-priority traffic always gets through), as well as AI-driven operations. For example, VeloCloud’s AIOps (“VeloRAIN”) analyzes real-time traffic to adjust policies and predict issues. This level of automation simplifies managed SD-WAN services: service providers can offer customers an SD-WAN managed solution that automatically adapts to changing conditions and detects application problems.
In practical terms, Arista+VeloCloud lets enterprises streamline WAN and security operations. The combined portfolio reduces complexity and cost by centralizing control of all transports (DIA, broadband, fiber, 5G, etc.) IT teams gain visibility of the entire network and can rapidly deploy new sites or cloud connections. As Arista’s materials note, the advanced portfolio “enables dynamic path selection, application-aware routing, and seamless integration of any transport” to deliver reliable, high-performance connectivity. It supports direct cloud on-ramps (with AWS Cloud WAN, Azure Virtual WAN, Google Cloud integration), so branches can reach cloud services efficiently without backhauling to headquarters. And of course, security is built in: every branch tunnel is encrypted, and traffic passes through integrated firewalls and cloud security gateways by default. All these capabilities make SD-WAN more than just a VPN overlay – it becomes the strategic foundation of a secure, cloud-ready WAN.
For Digital Carbon and other MSPs offering sd wan managed services, the Arista-VeloCloud tie-up is a boon. Digital Carbon, a UK-based co-managed service provider, already offers managed SD-WAN solutions that span multiple transports (DIA, broadband, 5G fixed wireless, etc). Its platform “securely coordinates workloads across a variety of connectivity types” and gives customers full visibility and control. With the Arista portfolio, Digital Carbon can now integrate Arista’s new hardware and software into its services. For example, Digital Carbon’s clients on 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) can use Arista branch devices that have built-in 5G and Wi-Fi radios. The company can continue bundling fixed wireless under SD-WAN, but now with Arista’s high-speed Fabric and AES-encrypted paths. Similarly, on the LAN/Wi-Fi side, Digital Carbon can expand into co-managed campus networks: it can deploy Arista’s new fanless 710XP PoE switches and Wi-Fi 7 APs (C-400, O-435) alongside existing infrastructure. This means offering co-managed LAN/Wi-Fi services on top of its SD-WAN services for the first time.
Moreover, Arista’s unified management stack (CloudVision for both LAN and WAN) lets Digital Carbon provide a seamless service experience. Customers benefit from a single pane of glass for wired, wireless and WAN performance. Digital Carbon’s existing approach – “vendor-independent” and bandwidth-aggregating – pairs well with Arista’s flexibility. In fact, Digital Carbon touts 24/7 proactive monitoring and a single point of contact for SD-WAN issues. With Arista’s automation and analytics (AIOps, predictive diagnostics), those monitoring capabilities get even smarter. Digital Carbon can offer its customers new AI-driven managed SD-WAN services that automatically optimize path selection and flag anomalies. And with Arista supporting open cloud ecosystems (AWS, Azure, Google), Digital Carbon can help customers integrate multi-cloud WAN hubs into the service. In short, this acquisition enables Digital Carbon to broaden its managed services: from SD-WAN into full branch management.
The merger unlocks new capabilities for customers of Digital Carbon and similar providers. Key enhancements include:
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Integrated 5G and Wi-Fi: Arista’s VeloCloud edges support embedded cellular modems and Wi-Fi radios. Digital Carbon can now offer seamlessly managed hybrid access – combining fiber, broadband and FWA links with automatic failover and QoS across them.
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AI-Optimized Networking: The combined Arista SD‑WAN platform uses AI (VeloRAIN) for traffic steering and anomaly detection. Managed services can deliver AIOps insights to customers, reducing downtime and manual troubleshooting.
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Unified LAN/WAN Management: Using Arista’s CloudVision, branches can be configured end-to-end. A co-managed LAN/Wi-Fi service means Digital Carbon can deploy and manage Arista switches and APs under one policy framework. For example, campus micro-segmentation (Arista MSS) and branch Zero Trust (CV AGNI, ZTX) apply consistently.
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Advanced Security as-a-Service: With VeloCloud SASE and Arista’s zero-trust controls, service providers can include managed security services (cloud firewalls, SWG, ZTNA) in SD-WAN contracts. Digital Carbon’s customers gain robust perimeter protection without extra appliances.
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Multi-Cloud On-Ramp: The platform supports direct connections to public cloud WANs (AWS, Azure, Google). Digital Carbon can offer optimized cloud connectivity, a key plus for enterprises migrating workloads to Azure or AWS.
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New Hardware Options: The acquisition introduces Arista’s branch hardware into the market. The new PoE switches and Wi-Fi7 APs are lower-cost, easy to deploy, and enterprise-grade. Digital Carbon can leverage these to offer smaller clients a pay-as-you-grow LAN/Wi-Fi solution under management.
For enterprises and providers alike, the Arista-VeloCloud deal signals that managed SD-WAN solutions are entering a new era. Rather than piecing together WAN, Wi-Fi and security from different vendors, organizations can now look to a single vendor stack that spans client to cloud. IT leaders should see this as a win for simpler, more capable networking. Digital Carbon and other MSPs will likely bundle these innovations into their “managed SD-WAN services” offers, attracting customers eager for turnkey SASE and Zero Trust. In fact, Arista CEO Ullal notes that customers “need more than traditional SD-WAN” as AI workloads reshape networks. Arista’s answer is a converged platform that enables dynamic bandwidth use, app prioritization and strict security everywhere.
In summary, Arista’s purchase of VeloCloud brings enterprise WAN into the modern AI and cloud era. It ensures that managed SD-WAN and SASE services can evolve from simple VPN overlays into intelligent, autonomous networks. For companies like Digital Carbon, it means offering richer sd wan managed services – from multi-path FWA links to Arista-powered campus LAN/Wi-Fi – all under one co-managed service umbrella. The result is a more agile, secure wide-area network for their customers, and a broader set of “managed SD-WAN solutions” to drive growth.