Case Studies > Asteroid selects Arista for innovative Internet Exchange Point service

Asteroid selects Arista for innovative Internet Exchange Point service

Customer Company Size

SME

Region

Europe
America

Country

Netherlands
United States

Product

Arista 7280R Family Switches
Arista EOS

Tech Stack

Linux
Merchant Silicon-based Switch

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Customer Satisfaction
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - Ethernet
Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management
Networks & Connectivity - Network Management & Analysis Software

Applicable Industries

Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Business Operation
Facility Management

Services

System Integration
Software Design & Engineering Services

About The Customer

Asteroid is a company led by a team of highly experienced industry veterans, focused on delivering a new type of Internet exchange platform. Their proprietary set of tools aims to give control back to customers while reducing costs without compromising performance and reliability. Asteroid's innovative software and collaboration with Arista Networks have enabled them to create a breakthrough product for data center owners, IXP operators, and others, providing lightweight and low-cost IXP services.

The Challenge

Asteroid aimed to create a new type of Internet Exchange Point (IXP) service that combined better self-service options and automated provisioning while keeping costs down. The challenge was to address longstanding issues in the IXP market, such as slow service setup times and limited self-provisioning capabilities. The goal was to offer a more agile, cost-effective, and customer-friendly IXP service that could scale from 10Gb to 100Gb seamlessly.

The Solution

Asteroid chose Arista 7280R Family Switches and Arista EOS to build their IXP service. The solution involved creating a system from the ground up, not dependent on legacy architectures, and leveraging automation and software on core switches to eliminate time-consuming and costly provisioning steps. This approach allowed Asteroid to offer more flexible and faster services. The Arista platform provided the necessary port density, performance, and price point, along with a full API for building features into Asteroid's software stack. The initial deployment used Arista 7280R series switches, which are purpose-built around a flexible arrangement of 10/25/40/100GbE ports with up to 12 terabits per second throughput and Ultradeep packet buffer up to 32GB.

Operational Impact

Asteroid's IXP services are among the lowest cost services based on price versus bandwidth.
The solution offers faster provisioning capabilities with extensive self-service options.
Asteroid provides a flexible service offering that scales from 10Gb to 100Gb with seamless port bonding.
The complete turnkey IXP solution developed by Asteroid is designed for data centers and IXP operators.
The long-term Arista Networks product roadmap aligns with the expected evolution of Asteroid's service.

Quantitative Benefit

The wholesale cost of connectivity has dropped around 4000% over the last decade.
Asteroid's IXP allows access to 80% of Europe within 50 milliseconds.