Big Switch Networks
Big Switch Networks is a private, venture-backed software-defined networking company founded in 2010 in Santa Clara, California, that builds cloud-first networking infrastructure for enterprise hybrid IT environments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSanta Clara, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Big Switch Networks does
Big Switch Networks is a private, venture-backed networking software company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, founded in 2010 and operating with 101–250 employees. The company positions itself as a "Cloud-First Networking" provider targeting hybrid IT environments, building software-defined networking (SDN) technology intended to simplify and modernize data center and cloud network operations. Its product surface is built around virtualized networking infrastructure, decoupling network control from underlying hardware, which is the foundational premise of the SDN architecture the company was founded to commercialize.
The company has raised approximately $119.5M across five equity rounds between 2010 and 2017, drawing a top-tier investor syndicate that includes Greylock, Index Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Morgenthaler Ventures, Intel Capital, Dell Technologies Capital, Redpoint, Silver Lake Waterman, DFO Management, and TriplePoint Ventures. This capital base, together with a dedicated VP of Worldwide Sales hire, indicates a go-to-market model oriented toward direct enterprise sales of networking software and infrastructure to hybrid IT buyers, likely supplemented by OEM and channel relationships aligned with Dell and Intel ecosystems.
Public product detail, pricing model, customer logos, named partners, and direct revenue figures are not disclosed in the provided source material, limiting the granularity of the commercial and technical picture. The aggregated sources also contain unrelated web content about Arista Networks (a separate public company), which is not attributed to Big Switch in this analysis. As a result, the company description above reflects only what is directly grounded in the Big Switch-specific firmographic and funding inputs.
Big Switch Networks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Big Switch Networks
- Website
- https://bigswitch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Big Switch Networks is a private, venture-backed software-defined networking company founded in 2010 in Santa Clara, California, that builds cloud-first networking infrastructure for enterprise hybrid IT environments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Big Switch Networks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cloud Networking Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)
- SIC
- Computer Communications Equipment (3576)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Data Center Ethernet Switching (ToR/Leaf-Spine) (HDABAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Programmable / White-Box & Bare-Metal Switching (HDAFAAAG), Management & Automation for Switching (Provisioning/Telemetry) (HDAFAAAK)
Keywords
Where Big Switch Networks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Clara
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Big Switch Networks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Big Switch Networks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Big Switch Networks is a cloud-first networking company that delivers a reimagined networking experience for hybrid IT environments. The company develops software-based networking solutions designed to address the data center, cloud, and network monitoring needs of enterprise customers.
Product overview
No product or service information for Big Switch Networks is available in the provided source data. The source material contains Arista Networks website content and general market trend articles that do not reference Big Switch Networks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Big Switch Networks
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Big Switch Networks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Big Switch Networks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Big Switch Networks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Arista Networks: Arista is a leading provider of data center cloud networking switches, EOS software, and CloudVision automation — directly competing with Big Switch in programmable data center switching and SDN-style fabrics, with very similar hyperscale/cloud-first customer targets.
- VMware (NSX): VMware NSX is the leading network virtualization/SDN overlay platform competing directly with Big Switch's software-defined fabric approach, particularly for hybrid cloud and multi-cloud enterprise deployments where both vendors target the same overlay networking use case.
- Nokia (Nuage Networks): Nuage Networks, a Nokia subsidiary, provides SDN-based data center networking and WAN automation that directly overlaps with Big Switch's cloud-first networking portfolio for service providers and large enterprises.
Broad incumbents
- Cisco Systems (ACI / Nexus): Cisco's Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and Nexus switches are a broad incumbent offering in data center networking and SDN, competing with Big Switch's fabric solutions across enterprise accounts with deeper portfolios and bundled software/hardware economics.
- NVIDIA (Cumulus Networks): NVIDIA acquired Cumulus Networks, a pioneer in Linux-based, open/bare-metal networking OS for white-box switches — overlapping directly with Big Switch's bare-metal switching software strategy and now backed by a much larger parent with AI fabric ambitions.
- Juniper Networks (Apstra): Juniper's Apstra AOS provides intent-based data center networking automation that competes with Big Switch's fabric management and automation software, with Juniper offering a broader switching/routing portfolio for enterprise and cloud data center buyers.
- Huawei (CloudFabric / iMaster NCE): Huawei CloudFabric and iMaster NCE-Fabric are SDN/data center networking offerings that compete with Big Switch in global enterprise and service provider accounts, particularly in APAC and EMEA where Huawei has stronger regional footprint.
- Extreme Networks: Extreme Networks offers data center switching (VDX, SLX) plus acquired cloud/SDN capabilities (Brocade, Avaya networking) that overlap with Big Switch's enterprise data center fabric and automation offerings across mid-market and large enterprise buyers.
Emerging players
- Pluribus Networks: Pluribus offers an adaptive, distributed SDN fabric for leaf-spine data center networks — a direct technical peer to Big Switch's fabric approach, targeting similar mid-market and enterprise customers with a unified switching/netanalytics platform.
- DriveNets: DriveNets provides a cloud-native disaggregated networking OS for white-box hardware, conceptually overlapping with Big Switch's bare-metal switching software model and serving service provider / hyperscale customers with similar economics.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Big Switch Networks social profiles
Digital presenceBig Switch Networks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Big Switch Networks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Big Switch Networks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Big Switch Networks M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Big Switch Networks
What does Big Switch Networks do?
Big Switch Networks is a cloud-first networking company that delivers a reimagined networking experience for hybrid IT environments. The company develops software-based networking solutions designed to address the data center, cloud, and network monitoring needs of enterprise customers.
When was Big Switch Networks founded?
Big Switch Networks was founded in 2010. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Big Switch Networks based?
Big Switch Networks is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Big Switch Networks's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Arista Networks, VMware (NSX) and Nokia (Nuage Networks). Broad incumbents are Cisco Systems (ACI / Nexus), NVIDIA (Cumulus Networks), Juniper Networks (Apstra), Huawei (CloudFabric / iMaster NCE) and Extreme Networks. Emerging players are Pluribus Networks and DriveNets.
Does Big Switch Networks have an API?
No public API is recorded for Big Switch Networks.
What industry is Big Switch Networks in?
Big Switch Networks's product category is Cloud Networking Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDABAFAA, Data Center Ethernet Switching (ToR/Leaf-Spine), with a secondary code of HDAFAAAG, Programmable / White-Box & Bare-Metal Switching. Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 3576.