Making your network do what your business needs has never been trickier than it is today, according to Susan Graham Johnston, president of 128 Technology.
That’s because running a successful business constantly requires newer and better technology: applications across interconnected networks, increased demands for user mobility, videos for branding and training, heightened security against cyber criminals — the list goes on and on.
And yet, thousands of businesses still rely on traditional routers and hardware-centric networking approaches, which quickly become outdated, expensive and overly complex.
“128 Technology is a company founded on the concept that the way the internet operates today is fundamentally broken,” said Graham Johnston. “The way technology is evolving with the internet and mobility is getting stressed to its breaking point. If you’re running a company, the network itself is holding you back from doing that.”
While networks exist to deliver apps and services, hardware-centric networking leads to a growing gap between business requirements and network capabilities. But that’s where 128 Technology comes in.
The four-year-old company is striving to fix the internet through networking software that streamlines delivery of applications and services across various networks, including address domains, security zones, firewalls and more.
When you fix networking, it unlocks a lot of potential.”
At its core, 128 Technology teaches routers the language of applications and services, letting them understand the requirements of individual services and segments and adapt. The company also provides network-based security and control, as well as insight across data centers and networks for businesses, service providers and cloud companies.
Graham Johnston said 128 Technology’s network is far simpler for businesses to operate than hardware-based alternatives, and more agile as well. According to the company, customers using its solution save about 80 percent compared to traditional hardware networking.
128 Technology currently has about 25 partners — a number the company expects to grow by at least 50 percent over the next year, according to VP of Solution Providers Brian Norris. To date, the Burlington-based company has raised over $57.5 million, landing its most recent Series C round in May 2017.
“Our long-term goal is really to fix the internet,” Graham Johnston said. “What I mean by that is to provide companies with a routing technology that will enable them to deploy new services and products simply, quickly, securely and inexpensively. When you fix networking, it unlocks a lot of potential.”
