In an exclusive interview with VMblog, Suresh Katukam, Chief Product Officer and co-founder of Nile, reveals a groundbreaking approach to enterprise networking that challenges traditional legacy solutions.

Nile's innovative Campus Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) model combines AI, automation, and cloud-native principles to deliver a secure, simplified networking experience that dramatically reduces operational complexity and security risks for enterprises.

VMblog:  Before we get started, can you give VMblog readers a quick background on Nile and what it provides to the enterprise?

Suresh Katukam:  Nile was founded by industry pioneers who previously built some of the industry's most impactful networking technology. With Nile, we are disrupting the enterprise networking industry with the Nile Access Service, a wired and wireless Local Area Network (LAN) solution delivered via a Campus Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) model that competes with legacy enterprise network vendors like Cisco and HPE. Our mission is to eliminate the operational complexity and security challenges that enterprises now face as traditional vendors continue to embrace legacy principles.

Our answer to legacy network solutions was to start from the ground up by combining innovation, AI and automation, and a cloud-native delivery model to offer customers a new and exciting wired and wireless LAN alternative. This new model includes built-in Campus Zero Trust features, high-performance infrastructure, and AI automation that reduces an organization's total cost of ownership by up to 60%. All of this is delivered with zero upfront capital expense, backed by the industry's only financially backed availability, coverage, and capacity performance guarantee. No one else is delivering this breadth of functionality with this kind of model.

VMblog:  Network-as-a-Service or NaaS is a term we hear a lot these days, but it seems to mean many different things. How does Nile define NaaS?

Katukam:  You're right; vendors jumped on the bandwagon and used NaaS to augment their existing business model. Essentially, they're offering the same LAN architecture they've been selling for decades, hidden behind a curtain of services and lease offerings.

At Nile, we decided to not just provide another enterprise network solution tied to SKUs and service packs. We're defining an entirely new market segment that we refer to as Campus NaaS, as our focus is primarily on the wired and wireless LAN.

We view Campus NaaS as an architectural shift. One built from the ground up to meet the high-performance connectivity and security needs of this new age of IT operations. Unlike legacy approaches, Nile is founded on the tenets of rigorous security, unrelenting simplicity, and a fundamentally new operations model backed by cloud native principles that deliver fully automated lifecycle management delivered as a true service.

The level of operational simplicity and automation that Nile provides, combined with Zero rust security "baked in" to our architecture and infrastructure, really sets us apart. Most legacy NaaS offerings are traditional wired and wireless access networking products - each with its own software releases, distinct product models and SKUs, and relevant configuration complexity wrapped inside a monthly or annual billing cycle.

VMblog:  What is Nile announcing?

Katukam:  Today, we're announcing the Nile Trust Service, which is a wholly new approach to securing the campus network. As security is built into the Nile Access Service at all levels, the Nile Trust Service delivers world-class cybersecurity protection without the burden of purchasing and managing a complex tapestry of added-on Zero Trust solutions. The result gives organizations a secure alternative to the expense and time required to build Zero Trust network security into a legacy network architecture. 

As device and application vulnerabilities are present in 98% of all traditional network environments,  implementing Campus Zero Trust security to prevent the lateral movement of an inevitable attack after an initial exploit is critical. Once hackers have exploited a single user, application, or IoT device in a traditional network, they can move "laterally" throughout the network to "expand the blast radius" of the attack by moving from device to device to deploy ransomware on critical systems, infect applications, encrypt data, steal credentials, or exfiltrate data.

In addition to delivering Campus Zero Trust security for the LAN, Nile is also announcing collaborations with world-class secure service edge (SSE) security leaders like Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, and Microsoft Entra to extend protection in a unified model to remote users as well.

VMblog:  What makes NIle's approach to Zero Trust security different from existing solutions?

Katukam:  Nile is the only AI-driven Campus NaaS service provider with modern Zero Trust security built into its architecture. This security extends from its hardened infrastructure to its unique microsegmentation implementation. This approach eliminates weak links in the campus and branch office networks that are vulnerable to attacks such as ransomware, malware, and man-in-the-middle exploits that move laterally within a network.

Building from a foundation based on modern campus Zero Trust principles requires fewer add-on security solutions.  By Nile building in Zero Trust security, we allow IT teams of all sizes to offer their organizations a more secure environment while greatly enhancing the user experience. This is surprisingly challenging for IT organizations as the core of legacy network architecture design has remained stagnant.

Complex VLAN management tasks and costly Layer 3 segmentation projects simply do not exist with Nile's architecture. There's no longer a need to implement outdated NAC solutions or roll out new SD-WAN and EVPN/VXLAN projects to ensure consistent access and policy enforcement, regardless of location. Instead of spending months to uplevel the segmentation network IT teams can focus on more business-critical opportunities.

This foundational design principle within the Nile Access Service architecture enables easier containment or the elimination of threats that exploit lateral movement through VLANs. Traditional network architectures often lead to alarming delays in detecting breaches, often requiring specialized security skills.

VMblog:  How does this new service play into Nile's broader vision for Zero Trust network access?

Katukam:  The Nile Trust Service is really a single arrow in Nile's quiver, but it helps lay a foundation for making Zero Trust networking principles part and parcel of all aspects of the enterprise LAN.

Like a symphony, a campus network is a complex harmony of interconnected elements, each playing its part to help organizations securely connect their users to needed applications and resources. Historically, the conversation has centered on connectivity and convenience, leaving the network vulnerable to security breaches. In contrast, Nile incorporates all aspects of Zero Trust at the foundational level, but raises the bar when it comes to the protection of critical resources and data.

Picture a network where every byte of data not only flows seamlessly but flows securely, where users trust that every connection and their data is secure. Network and security  IT organizations are empowered to operate without fear of attackers exploiting legacy technology while scaling to support new ones. This is precisely what Nile brings to the table - a harmonious blend of connectivity and security, orchestrated with precision. We don't follow industry norms but instead aim to shift the perspective to set new standards for secure networking.

Implementing a Zero Trust network doesn't need to be complex. Nile enables complete isolation and segmentation of each user, device, and traffic flow so that the cybersecurity systems in place can apply enforcement rules based on evolving needs and threat containment. In a world of growing advanced threats, noisy network environments, and regulatory responses that grow more stringent by the day, we feel enterprise IT is eager for this type of integration between their network infrastructure and cybersecurity systems, enabling them to focus on their core business by reducing the attack surface across the LAN and by preventing system level downtime.

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