Transforming IT Infrastructure: How Concentus Optimized Network Operations with VyOS

Customer Overview

Concentus is a leading provider of IT solutions, specializing in data center services, managed IT services, and professional consulting. With a commitment to delivering innovative and scalable solutions, Concentus empowers businesses to stay ahead in an ever-evolving technological landscape. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and a customer-centric approach, Concentus tailors its services to meet the unique needs of each client. From optimizing IT infrastructure and enhancing operational efficiency to ensuring robust security and seamless scalability, Concentus supports a diverse range of industries in achieving their digital transformation goals and driving sustainable growth.

Challenge

Initially, Concentus relied on Vyatta and later Juniper MX devices for their routing needs. While these solutions performed adequately, the escalating costs associated with hardware refreshes and management services became unsustainable. Additionally, as Concentus's service offerings expanded, there was a need to reevaluate and optimize their network architecture. Key challenges included:

High Operational Costs: High operational and capital expenses linked to Juniper MX devices.
Architecture Complexity: The necessity to simplify network architecture by consolidating edge and core routers.
Limited BGP Expertise: Limited in-house expertise in BGP, necessitating external Managed Service Provider (MSP) support.

Why VyOS

Through comprehensive online research, Concentus discovered VyOS and appreciated its similarities to JunOS in terms of commands and documentation. After evaluating alternatives such as MikroTik and TNSR, VyOS stood out as the most comprehensive and robust solution. Concentus opted for VyOS's Managed Service Provider (MSP) offering, which provided end-to-end support, from migration to ongoing management. VyOS offered:

Full BGP Support: Full BGP table support, crucial for Concentus's data center and ISP edge needs.
Flexible MSP Model: A flexible MSP model, ensuring seamless migration and lifecycle management.
Hardware Independence: Decoupling of software from hardware, enabling cost-effective hardware refreshes without vendor lock-in.

Implementation

The VyOS team played a pivotal role in migrating Concentus's network from Juniper MX to VyOS-based routers. This included managing Juniper devices during the transition period and setting up monitoring systems for proactive management. Key implementation highlights:

Replacement of four Juniper MX devices with two VyOS routers,: simplifying the architecture and reducing costs.
Establishing BGP: sessions across multiple 10Gbps provider edge links.
Collaboration with FastNetMon: for future DDoS mitigation and automation using BGP.

Results

The transition to VyOS delivered significant benefits:

Cost Savings: A more economical solution compared to proprietary vendors like Juniper and Cisco.
Simplified Architecture: Consolidation of core and edge routers into a streamlined setup.
Future-Ready Infrastructure: Plans to leverage VyOS for IPSec VPNs and DDoS mitigation.
Improved Support: Access to VyOS's expert MSP team ensured reliable network management.

Looking Ahead

With a robust MSP model and plans to expand VyOS's use cases, Concentus is well-positioned for future growth. The team highlighted favorite features such as the MSP model (including lifecycle management and proactive support), the flexibility to deploy VyOS on a variety of hardware platforms, and the collaborative approach of the VyOS team during both migration and ongoing operations.