Matthew Palmer, Systems Engineering Manager META at Extreme Networks, highlights that the company is leading data center transformation across MEA through AI-driven automation, fabric-based architectures, and strategic partnerships, enabling enterprises to modernize, scale securely, and streamline operations across hybrid environments.
How do you view the current state of the data center market in the Middle East and Africa?
The data center market in the Middle East and Africa is undergoing significant transformation, fueled by the widespread adoption of cloud-based applications and services as organizations aim to simplify and modernize operations. However, on-premise data centers continue to play a crucial role, particularly for industries facing stringent compliance, latency, and control requirements that prevent full cloud migration. The growing demand for AI workloads is a key driver, prompting businesses to invest heavily in localized, high-performance, and modernized data center infrastructure. This shift highlights a growing trend toward hybrid environments, where organizations strategically combine cloud flexibility with on-premise control to meet performance, security, and regulatory needs effectively across the region.
What role does Extreme Networks play in the data center market and what trends are driving demand for advanced networking solutions?
Extreme Networks delivers the switching infrastructure and network intelligence that form the backbone of modern data centers. We support customers at every stage, whether they are building new facilities or upgrading existing ones. The surge in AI workloads and next-generation applications demands networks that can deliver higher speeds, better scalability, and comprehensive visibility. Our portfolio includes flexible architectures such as VXLAN/EVPN and Shortest Path Bridging (SPB), allowing customers to choose solutions best suited to their environments. This flexibility, combined with automation and simplicity, addresses growing demands driven by more connected workloads, seamless scalability needs, and increasing pressure on IT teams to do more with fewer resources.
What sets Extreme Networks apart in the highly competitive data center networking space, especially in terms of scalability, performance, and automation?
Extreme Networks stands out by offering a unique dual-architecture approach, combining VXLAN/EVPN with Shortest Path Bridging (SPB). While many vendors focus solely on VXLAN/EVPN, our SPB Fabric supports both campus and data center environments under a single, unified fabric. This enables streamlined traffic segmentation and reduces the need to manage multiple overlay protocols. Built on a shortest path protocol rather than BGP, SPB reduces configuration complexity and errors, leading to inherent automation. This results in a scalable, high-performance network fabric that’s easier to deploy and maintain, ideal for IT teams aiming to reduce operational overhead and complexity while maintaining superior network performance.
How is Extreme helping customers in MEA modernize legacy data center infrastructure and adopt future-ready architectures like fabric networking or cloud-managed networks?
Extreme helps customers modernize legacy data centers by offering a cloud platform that provides unified management across both Extreme and third-party devices. This enables organizations to adopt fabric networking and cloud-managed architectures at their own pace without a disruptive overhaul. Fabric Connect’s auto-provisioning capabilities simplify deployment and minimize manual errors, making the transition smoother. Our professional services team supports customers throughout—from architecture design to migration and implementation—ensuring a resilient and future-ready network. This approach reduces risk, accelerates modernization, and provides scalable, reliable infrastructure that meets the demands of evolving business needs and complex regulatory environments across the MEA region.
How are your solutions enabling AI-driven operations, zero-touch provisioning, or real-time visibility in large-scale data center environments?
Extreme’s solutions simplify network operations through zero-touch provisioning, policy-driven configuration, and automation, enabling customers to deploy and scale networks rapidly without manual intervention. Our unified platform, Extreme Platform ONE, consolidates data center, campus, and edge operations into a single pane of glass. It delivers AI-powered insights and automation that drastically reduce manual tasks from hours to minutes. Built-in telemetry and Layer 7 application visibility allow real-time and historical traffic analysis, helping customers understand bandwidth consumption and optimize network performance. This combination of AI, automation, and visibility supports proactive management, faster troubleshooting, and smarter scaling in complex, large-scale data center environments.
Are there any strategic partnerships in the region—such as with hyperscalers, telcos, or managed service providers—that are helping you extend your data center footprint?
Yes, Extreme Networks has a significant OEM partnership with Ericsson, which plays a crucial role in expanding our data center and metro network presence across the Middle East. Our switching solutions are integrated within Ericsson’s Cloud Native Infrastructure Solution (CNIS), enabling communication service providers (CSPs) to automate, optimize, and scale their 5G networks efficiently. This collaboration enhances network resilience, simplifies operations, and allows dynamic resource allocation via fabric-based automation. The partnership is active in hundreds of data centers globally, including key deployments in the region, exemplifying how joint innovation accelerates transformation for CSPs facing increasing demands for faster, smarter, and more reliable telecommunications services.
Can you highlight a recent customer deployment or success story in the MEA data center space that reflects Extreme’s value and impact?
We recently supported a major retail bank in East Africa with a full Fabric Connect deployment across two data centers during a physical relocation phase that temporarily involved three locations. The bank needed a solution that could maintain performance and scale the network seamlessly amidst operational disruption. Extreme’s fabric-based architecture provided the flexibility to manage this complex transition smoothly, minimizing downtime and complexity. The customer highlighted the ease of scaling and operational reliability throughout the move. This deployment underscores Extreme’s ability to deliver agile, high-performance, and resilient networking solutions tailored to real-world challenges in dynamic, demanding environments.
What are your top priorities for the next 12–18 months in the MEA region, particularly when it comes to enabling secure, agile, and high-performance data center networks?
Over the next 12–18 months, Extreme Networks is focused on helping MEA organizations enhance efficiency, security, and agility across data centers, edge, and hybrid environments. We aim to reduce network complexity and improve visibility to support lean IT teams under increasing operational pressures. Our flagship platform, Extreme Platform ONE, combines a composable workspace, built-in AI automation, and simplified licensing, providing a unified management experience. This platform will be central to accelerating productivity, integrating AI, networking, and security, and reducing manual tasks from hours to minutes. Our goal is to enable customers to deploy, scale, and manage secure, high-performance networks with greater ease and speed.
