Nike builds datacentre cloud and network infrastructure

Nike is creating a new highly scalable next-generation datacentre cloud and retail network infrastructure to meet changing business and customer needs.

The sportswear brand aims to make its new infrastructure the base for virtualising its multiple datacentre facilities around the world. The new network will also help the retailer to improve application performance and enhance IT flexibility.

Nike has picked network provider Juniper for its cloud infrastructure project and will deploy Juniper’s new datacentre architecture - MetaFabric - to support its current and future business goals.

Juniper debuted MetaFabric - which ties together its switching, routing and software into a comprehensive approach for datacentre and cloud networking – last year.

The architecture that ties networking with datacentre pushes the networking industry beyond a "myopic" approach, according to Andre Kindness, senior analyst for Forrester Research. Networking has lagged behind other elements of the IT industry on the subject of interconnecting datacentres and the cloud, he added.

MetaFabric will also serve as the basis for virtualising multiple Nike datacentres around the world. The sports brand has more than 18 datacentres globally, co-located within Nike’s campuses or in multi-tenant third party datacentres.

Through the open standards-based architecture of MetaFabric, comprised of proven routing, switching, security, management and orchestration solutions, Nike hopes to improve application performance across the company, as well as advance network orchestration via automation and data analytics.

“Nike is focused on elevating and accelerating innovation in our products, services and our digital ecosystem,” said Anthony Watson, its CIO. “This requires progressive and agile technology solutions that keep pace with our growth, which is what Juniper’s solutions offer.”

Watson, 38, became Nike CIO in April this year after moving from Barclays Bank where he has been the London-based managing director and CIO for Europe and the Middle East, as well as Global Operations since 2009. At Nike, he is responsible for delivering innovative technology solutions and helping the company to drive sustainable, profitable growth.

Enterprises are re-engineering their business models in light of changing customer behaviour and emerging technologies, said Juniper Networks’ chief executive Shaygan Kheradpir. “This requires an intelligent and comprehensive, high-IQ network infrastructure that adapts to business demands. It also requires building private clouds that deliver applications with high performance and agility,” he said.

Juniper will provide Nike with an ultra-scalable, secure network architecture for the retailer’s global datacentre refresh strategy. It will also make Nike’s network future-ready and provide orchestration services via automation, management, and data analytics across all domains.

"Juniper’s technologies enable customers to accommodate the performance demands of their clients anywhere, anytime,” Kheradpir said.