Siân Morgan, Research Director at Dell'Oro Group, discusses how AI ops features are becoming standard in enterprise networking vendor offerings, the shift from hardware to recurring software revenue models, strong Wi-Fi 7 adoption in 2025 particularly in North America, and continued growth in software licensing and cloud-managed equipment segments.

Shashi Kiran, Chief Marketing Officer at Nile, explains how the company addresses enterprise networking challenges in campus and branch environments through a zero trust fabric approach that integrates security into network infrastructure, delivers autonomous AI-powered operations via a secure network as a service model, and serves hundreds of customers across multiple industries with cloud-native security services including secure access, authentication, and SASE-like capabilities for both wired and wireless connectivity.

Bob Friday from Hewlett Packard Enterprise discusses how networks are converging through the integration of networking, security, and application monitoring into unified solutions with continuous uptime capabilities, self-thriving features, and real-time monitoring that extends from client to cloud for both applications and security functions.

Ray Mota from ACG Research examines the gap between marketing promises and actual capabilities in zero touch AI and automation for networking, arguing that zero trust should be treated as a comprehensive security posture requiring telemetry enforcement, micro-segmentation, and continuous AI-driven monitoring rather than a standalone product, while emphasizing that AI must be positioned as a problem-solving tool mapped to economic benefits rather than as technology for its own sake.

Yogesh Ranade from Palo Alto Networks explains how enterprises pursue SASE and network security transformation through network-led approaches using SD-WAN and branch augmentation or security-led approaches using SWIG, SAS, and CASB, while Palo Alto Networks addresses both with integrated SD-WAN and SSE solutions, telecom partnerships, Wi-Fi switching convergence, the new Prisma AIRS platform for AI application security, and Prisma Browser for securing AI workflows.

Steve Martin, CEO and co-founder of Shasta Cloud, leverages his 25-30 years of networking industry experience from Ruckus Wireless, Aerohive, and Cisco to explain how Shasta Cloud addresses enterprise networking challenges—including equipment commoditization, vendor consolidation, deployment complexity, security threats, IT talent shortages, and budget constraints—by using open networking systems to create multi-vendor interoperable ecosystems that shift value from hardware to services, offering mid-market and Fortune 1000 customers integrated solutions with single-point accountability while avoiding vendor lock-in.

Archana Khetan from Ericsson explains how the company distinguishes itself through wireless WAN solutions for mobile and fixed use cases, advancing resiliency with link bonding technology, patented selective encryption that reduces overhead by up to 50%, LEO satellite support, and AI capabilities for cellular optimization, troubleshooting, and edge compute requirements.

Jeff Raymond of Arista Networks explains how the company approaches modern enterprise connectivity through three key pillars: best-in-class network infrastructure with constant availability, zero-touch operations leveraging automation and AI ops, and zero trust networking with integrated segmentation and threat protection capabilities.

Renuka Nadkarni from Aryaka presents the company's OnePass architecture and unified SASE as a Service 2.0 platform, which addresses enterprise challenges of inconsistent user experiences and security gaps across hybrid workforces by processing all traffic through a single-pass system that applies identical security policies and visibility whether users access applications from branch offices or remote locations.

Sunil Varanasi, CTO and Co-Founder of Meter, explains how the company addresses network and security convergence by providing a single integrated stack with unified pricing that simplifies deployment and operations while delivering best-in-breed performance across firewalls, switches, access points, PDUs, and cellular solutions, supported by a powerful dashboard with machine learning capabilities that optimize customer outcomes as networks scale.

Pankaj Patel, CEO and co-Founder of Nile, discusses the company's seven-year journey to disrupt the networking industry through ruthless automation powered by AI engines, data analytics, and zero trust fabric architecture, achieving over 500 deployments including success in healthcare and financial institutions while noting that incumbents are now following Nile's network-as-a-service approach.