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Juniper Networks CEO Rami Rahim On The ‘Enterprise Execution Engine’ And the ‘Critical’ Role Partners Are Playing
Gina Narcisi
Juniper’s CEO talks about the company’s transformation, the factors that culminated in its enterprise segment surpassing service provider and cloud as the company’s largest vertical in first-quarter 2022, and why this trend won’t just be an anomaly on the balance sheet.
Enterprise For The Win
For the first time in the history of Juniper Networks, the company’s enterprise business surpassed its long-established service provider and cloud businesses as the biggest segment from a revenue perspective. It’s been a work in progress to grow Juniper’s enterprise business and a transformation that the company had to actively make. Enterprise business taking the lead in first-quarter 2022 is a function of the strategy that Juniper put in place over the last couple of years, Juniper CEO Rami Rahim told CRN.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company pulled in $433 million in enterprise revenue in the most recent quarter that ended March 31, up 18 percent compared with $365 million a year ago. Juniper generated $307 million in cloud revenue, up from $207 million, and $428 million in service provider revenue, compared with $438 million in first-quarter 2021. Software-based services climbed 60 percent year over year, and annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew 30 percent year over year. At the same time, the company wasn’t immune from global supply chain challenges, which increased Juniper’s backlog on a year-over-year basis. Juniper said it’s continuing to work to resolve these issues and has increased inventory levels and purchase commitments. Overall, orders grew by 35 percent year over year, pointing to strong customer demand, the company said.
Juniper’s focus on AI services and software are generating more interest from enterprises, especially as buying behaviors change and businesses look to inject more automation where they can into their IT processes. Juniper has also been on a bit of a buying spree to fill out its portfolio where needed, such as 128 Technology in the SD-WAN department and Witesand for AI-based networking and security.
With the fruits of the company’s labor now visible in its revenue, Rahim talked to CRN about Juniper’s transformation and enterprise focus, how recent revenue gains won’t just be a blip but rather a long-term trend, and the role that partners play.
Here’s what Rahim had to say in an exclusive interview.
