Interview with George Crump, CMO, VergeIO shares insights on VergeFabric
As IT landscapes continue to evolve, organizations are seeking efficient, cost-effective alternatives to traditional virtualization platforms. With VMware’s licensing changes and rising costs, many IT teams are looking for streamlined solutions that simplify networking while enhancing performance, security, and scalability. VergeFabric is the solution.
In this exclusive Q&A, George Crump, Chief Marketing Officer at VergeIO, shares insights on VergeFabric, VergeIO’s integrated Software-Defined Networking (SDN) solution. He discusses how VergeFabric addresses key customer challenges, improves security and performance, and enables seamless scalability for enterprises transitioning from VMware.
From eliminating per-core licensing fees to providing built-in firewalling and multi-site networking, VergeFabric aims to redefine the way organizations approach virtualization and networking. Let’s dive into the discussion to understand the customer-driven innovations and the future roadmap for this game-changing SDN solution.
Understanding the Customer Perspective
Q1. How does VergeFabric address the most common CX challenges IT teams face when transitioning from VMware?
GC: IT teams transitioning from VMware often face cost concerns, complexity, and vendor lock-in. VergeFabric eliminates per-core licensing fees, reduces reliance on proprietary networking hardware, and integrates directly into VergeOS without requiring separate virtual machines. This built-in approach removes the need for additional SDN controllers, streamlining deployment and making networking more cost-effective and manageable.
Q2. What specific customer pain points led to the development of VergeFabric’s integrated SDN solution?
GC: Many organizations have been locked into expensive, complex proprietary networking architectures that require dedicated routers, firewalls, and VPN appliances. VMware NSX, for example, adds additional licensing fees and resource overhead while still requiring specialized expertise to configure and maintain. VergeFabric was developed to provide a fully integrated, easy-to-use SDN solution that eliminates unnecessary costs and complexity.
Q3. Can you share examples of how VergeFabric has improved network performance and reliability for early adopters?
GC: Early adopters have seen significant reductions in both capital and operational expenses while improving network agility. Customers replacing VMware NSX and proprietary hardware with VergeFabric have cut networking costs by 50% or more, while seeing improved application performance due to reduced network congestion and latency. Some organizations have also eliminated dedicated SD-WAN appliances, as VergeFabric enables seamless site-to-site connectivity.
Elimination of Per-Core Licensing Fees
Q4. How does the elimination of per-core licensing fees impact customers’ total cost of ownership (TCO)?
GC: With VergeFabric included at no additional cost, organizations avoid the per-core pricing model that VMware and other vendors use. This means that as CPU density increases, customers do not face escalating software costs. Additionally, eliminating the need for dedicated SDN controller VMs reduces infrastructure overhead, allowing organizations to allocate more resources to workloads rather than management overhead.
Q5. What customer feedback influenced the latest VergeFabric update, and how was it implemented?
GC: Customers emphasized three key priorities:
- Simplified multi-site networking – VergeFabric now includes built-in VPN and BGP routing to streamline remote connectivity.
- Improved security controls – Enhanced stateful firewalling, network segmentation, and traffic monitoring were implemented.
- Hardware flexibility – VergeFabric now supports multi-vendor switches, enabling IT teams to mix and match networking hardware without vendor lock-in.
Ease of Use and Implementation
Q6. How does VergeFabric simplify network virtualization for organizations unfamiliar with SDN?
GC: VergeFabric eliminates the steep learning curve typically associated with SDN by integrating directly into VergeOS. Unlike traditional SDN solutions that require separate controllers and complex policies, VergeFabric provides a single management interface that aligns with how IT teams already manage compute and storage.
Q7. What are the onboarding and migration processes like for IT teams adopting VergeFabric?
GC: Adopting VergeFabric is straightforward because it is part of VergeOS. Organizations can incrementally transition from proprietary networking without a full rip-and-replace approach. IT teams can gradually activate firewalling, routing, and VPN capabilities as needed, minimizing disruption.
Q8. How does VergeFabric ensure seamless integration with customers’ existing networking hardware?
GC: VergeFabric supports any standard Ethernet switch, allowing organizations to transition away from proprietary, single-vendor hardware at their own pace. It overlays existing networking infrastructure, meaning organizations can continue using their current switches while gradually leveraging VergeFabric’s advanced features.
Q9. What kind of customer support and training does VergeIO offer to ease the transition?
GC: VergeIO provides one-on-one customer onboarding, extensive documentation, and direct engineering support. Additionally, IT teams can access video tutorials and live training sessions to quickly understand how to configure and optimize VergeFabric for their environment.
Q10. How does VergeFabric’s interface enhance the user experience compared to VMware NSX?
GC: Unlike NSX, which requires multiple interfaces and external VMs, VergeFabric is fully integrated into VergeOS and provides a single, unified interface for managing compute, storage, and networking. This integration eliminates the complexity of managing separate SDN appliances, making it significantly easier for IT teams to configure and maintain.
Security and Performance
Q11. How does VergeFabric improve security without requiring additional firewall appliances?
GC: VergeFabric includes a stateful firewall with Layer 3 and Layer 4 security rules, allowing IT teams to enforce security policies at the VM and Virtual Data Center (VDC) level. This built-in security eliminates the need for separate hardware firewalls while providing better isolation and threat containment.
Q12. Can you explain how VM and Virtual Data Center (VDC) segmentation enhances threat protection?
GC: VergeFabric enables per-VM segmentation, preventing lateral movement of attacks inside the data center. VDC segmentation ensures entire workloads remain isolated, allowing multi-tenant environments, departmental segmentation, and workload-specific security policies without the need for complex VLANs.
Q13. What performance benchmarks or customer case studies highlight VergeFabric’s efficiency in real-world use?
GC: Early adopters running high-performance workloads have reported lower latency, faster provisioning, and simplified network scaling. Customers replacing NSX with VergeFabric have experienced a 30-40% improvement in VM-to-VM traffic speeds while eliminating dedicated networking hardware.
Q14. How does VergeFabric handle network traffic congestion to ensure optimal application performance?
GC: VergeFabric dynamically adjusts traffic flow and prioritization based on workload demand. Integrated rate limiting, traffic shaping, and network monitoring allow organizations to optimize performance without requiring expensive QoS appliances.
Q15. What are the key security differentiators between VergeFabric and VMware NSX?
GC: VergeFabric removes the complexity and cost of NSX while providing built-in security. Unlike NSX, VergeFabric:
a. Does not require external firewall appliances
b. Includes VM-level and VDC-level segmentation
c. Does not consume additional CPU and RAM for controller VMs
d. Provides seamless multi-site security policies without SD-WAN overhead
Scalability and Future-Proofing
Q16. How does VergeFabric adapt to the needs of growing enterprises and multi-site organizations?
GC: VergeFabric supports dynamic scaling, allowing IT teams to expand networking capabilities across multiple sites without requiring additional licenses. Its multi-site VPN and dynamic routing capabilities make it ideal for growing enterprises and hybrid cloud environments.
Q17. What role does VergeFabric play in hybrid and multi-cloud networking strategies?
GC: VergeFabric enables secure, software-defined connectivity across on-premises and cloud environments without requiring SD-WAN appliances. It simplifies multi-cloud network integration, ensuring secure traffic flows across different locations.
Q18. How does VergeIO ensure continuous innovation in its SDN solutions based on evolving customer needs?
GC: VergeIO actively engages with customers, incorporating feedback into product development. Recent enhancements to VergeFabric’s routing, VPN, and security capabilities were directly driven by customer requests for simpler, more scalable networking solutions.
Q19. What’s next for VergeFabric in terms of product roadmap and customer-driven enhancements?
GC: Upcoming enhancements include deeper automation, AI-driven network optimization, and expanded SDN monitoring tools. VergeIO is also enhancing multi-cloud networking capabilities to help organizations further simplify hybrid deployments.
Q20. How does VergeIO collect and analyze customer insights to refine its CX strategy?
GC: VergeIO continuously monitors customer deployments, collects direct feedback, and engages with IT teams to ensure that future updates align with real-world needs. The goal is to simplify SDN adoption while delivering best-in-class performance and security.
Closing Remarks
As IT teams navigate the complexities of transitioning from VMware and other legacy platforms, VergeFabric stands out as a solution that simplifies networking, enhances security, and reduces costs—all without the burden of per-core licensing fees. By integrating seamlessly into VergeOS, it eliminates the need for additional SDN controllers, making network virtualization more accessible and cost-effective for organizations of all sizes.
With a strong focus on customer-driven innovation, VergeIO continues to refine VergeFabric based on real-world feedback, ensuring scalability, multi-cloud compatibility, and AI-driven optimizations for the future. As enterprises look for flexible, high-performance SDN solutions, VergeFabric provides a compelling alternative to traditional, complex networking architectures.
Thank you to George Crump, CMO of VergeIO, for sharing valuable insights into how VergeFabric is transforming IT networking. Stay tuned for further updates on VergeIO’s evolving SDN capabilities and customer success stories.
