The Next Chapter: WAN Dynamics joins Nitel to Reimagine the Network
As I reflect on the last eight years as co-founder and CTO of WAN Dynamics, I feel a range of emotions. This entrepreneurial journey has been one of immense learning, perseverance, and ultimately, profound growth—both professionally and personally.
When we started WAN Dynamics in 2016, we had a vision to revolutionize how enterprises deployed and consumed network services. The world was shifting towards on-demand, cloud-based, pay-as-you-go models for IT, but the networking world seemed stuck in the past. We aimed to pioneer a new way—delivering comprehensive managed network services that provided flexibility, insights, and superior white-glove support.
Those early days were a hustle. As a first-time entrepreneur, I quickly learned the importance of resourcefulness and adaptation. With a lean team and little to no funding, we had to be scrappy—doing more with less, finding creative ways to build solutions tailored to our customers' evolving needs. It was challenging but incredibly rewarding.
Over the years, we made remarkable strides, assembling a brilliant crew of networking experts unified by a bold vision. We transformed client enterprise networks from rigid, traditional infrastructure into an agile platform—with connectivity, security, automation, and data insights converging into a holistic service model. We envisioned a world where organizations could simply consume their network, freeing them to focus on their core business ambitions.
However, as WAN Dynamics reached a certain maturity, we faced new growth barriers. We came to realize that our audacious concept of a true Network-as-a-Service future would require an infusion of major capital and resources beyond our means as an upstart. That's when the opportunity with Nitel appeared.
From my first interactions with Nitel's leadership team, I recognized a sincere alignment in our visions for revolutionizing managed network services. Their innovative technologies, commitment to redefining the connectivity experience, and incredible talent resonated deeply. It became clear that by joining forces, we could accelerate the realization of our respective goals.
This acquisition creates an incredible confluence of WAN Dynamics' brilliant minds joining Nitel's extensive capital, resources, and business infrastructure. We bring an "acquihire" of seasoned networking experts deeply invested in a Network-as-a-Service philosophy—a philosophy comprised of a software-first approach, intelligent insights based on data, and a comprehensive service set to truly make the entire network consumable by our customers as a service. Our collective expertise will empower enterprises to seamlessly consume and optimize the entire network as an intuitive, on-demand service.
At our core, we understood that while technology platforms are crucial enablers, it's the exceptional people and their ability to execute that ultimately differentiate a remarkable experience. Nitel also demonstrates this human excellence across engineering, operations, and customer support.
As the WAN Dynamics team and I take this next step, I carry profound gratitude for the WAN Dynamics journey. The lessons of initiation, resilience, and possibility that came from starting a company from scratch will forever shape my perspectives. I could not have gotten here without this team of brilliant people that I'm so lucky to work alongside, not to mention the incredible customers who took a chance on this little company from Cleveland, OH. I'm honored to merge these experiences and these people with the extraordinary team and resources at Nitel for the next phase.
Our vision for a comprehensive Network-as-a-Service is no longer just a dream but an imminent reality driven by intelligent network automation, a software-first approach, data-driven insights backed by AI, and an unwavering focus on white-glove service delivery. With the wind of this acquisition at our backs, we're reshaping how enterprises procure, deploy, and optimize their network services.
This isn't the end of WAN Dynamics but a new starting point toward our boldest ambitions yet. The future is brimming with possibilities, and I'm excited to embrace this next chapter at the forefront of network innovation.
#WeAreNitel
P.S. - Thanks to the Nitel team for the sweet box of swag featured in the pic!