It’s not unusual for startups to make bold proclamations, but Andy Ory’s new networking startup has a decree that’s more daring than most: 128 Technology is going to "fix the Internet."
That obviously begs the question, how do you fix the Internet?
For Ory, a veteran in networking technology, the answer goes to the core of how the Internet works — routing— something that will pit the Burlington company against tech giants like Cisco and Juniper Networks.
One of the big problems with the way traditional routers work is that the fundamental technology hasn’t changed since it was first developed decades ago, Ory told me. With more and more devices coming online, the task of routing information has become increasingly complex, which can make things like cyber attacks and large volumes of traffic difficult to address.
That’s where 128’s "secure vector routing" comes in, which Ory said provides greater security, control and agility.
The company's technology provides a software-based approach to routing that has traditionally been hardware-based. Instead of routing packets of information through different paths each time, 128’s tech knows which paths are the most efficient for different packet types every time, which can improve speed and performance, along with helping companies figure out where any particular problems are happening. This "session-oriented" approach also eliminates the need for “middleboxes” like firewalls and deep packet inspection by baking those features into the actual system.
"The economics alone are disruptive."
This means 128 can provide routing services for a tenth of what they would normally cost, Ory said. And the market opportunity for such a solution is very large: “easily in the multiples of $10 billion.”
“The economics alone are disruptive,” Ory said.
One of 128’s earlier clients is Revation Systems, a Minnesota company that provides a unified cloud communications system for over 300 customers.
"We knew we needed to invest in a next generation network solution that would allow us to more securely deliver our applications across network boundaries while meeting ever-evolving regulations," Perry Price, CEO of Revation Systems, said in a statement. "Using 128 Technology’s session-oriented networking platform, we’ve been able to extend our service level agreements from the edge of our data center to the customer LAN – delivering unmatched security and quality of experience for our customers."
128, one of BostInno's 17 tech companies to watch in 2017, has raised $36 million and has almost 90 employees.
