Juniper shrinks its MX monster router onto a USB stick

Juniper Networks has decided small is beautiful, so the latest iteration of its MX router is a virtual router that fits on a USB stick. It's not just an SDN play: shipping a full-featured MX router licensed in per-100 Mbps or per-Gbps performance slices gives the Gin Palace a product that can be sold in much greater volume …

[Henry Wertz 1]

Smart

I do think this is a smart move; Juniper's only going to be able to move so many 80Tbps routers, and will only want to "undersell" them so much (i.e. sell the 80Tbps router license-locked to 20 or 40Tbps or whatever.) Furthermore, 100mbps or a few 100mbps doesn't need specialized hardware to handle the load any more, but one may still want the specialized software functionality.

[grumpy feline]

Great idea, but innovator's dilemma?

This is good, but how will they handle pricing? It must be difficult to price correctly and avoid internal accusations of cannibalising their main products.

[AndyFl]

Good move

This could also be useful for training if they produce a 'lab' licence which is locked to a few Mbit at a nominal price.

I also think it is a good move for Juniper.

[Anonymous Coward]

Is it just me..

.. or does anyone else always have to re-read the article to check if this isn't an email routing device?

Don't mind me, I have the same problem with "TV guide" after people have dragged me into the more entertaining London nightclubs :)

[Anonymous Coward]

quite

Pricing and negotiations with customers is a bit ... sensitive at Juniper right now. See the story about their CEO in today's Reg!