Research Note: DriveNets ' Networking Technology
Corporate
DriveNets was founded in 2015 by Ido Susan and Hillel Kobrinsky, bringing together deep expertise in networking technology and successful entrepreneurial track records. The company has secured $587 million in funding across multiple rounds, achieving a valuation exceeding $2.5 billion in its 2022 Series C round, demonstrating strong investor confidence in its innovative approach to network infrastructure. DriveNets has gained significant market traction, notably powering over 52% of AT&T's network traffic through its cloud-native networking solutions. The company's flagship products include DriveNets Network Cloud, DriveNets Network Operating System (DNOS), and DriveNets Network Orchestrator (DNOR), which together provide a comprehensive solution for transforming traditional network infrastructure into a cloud-like architecture. With its global presence and rapidly growing customer base, DriveNets is emerging as a major disruptor in carrier-grade networking solutions.
Service Architecture
DNOS represents a fundamental shift from traditional networking architectures, built on a cloud-native, disaggregated model scoring 8.5 in Platform Breadth & Capabilities. The system runs containerized network functions (CNFs) on standard white-box servers, earning a 9.0 in Enterprise-Grade Scalability for its proven ability to handle massive network scale. The platform's orchestration layer (DNOR) provides automated deployment and management capabilities, contributing to its 7.5 score in User Experience & Flexibility. DriveNets' architecture supports comprehensive integration capabilities (8.0 in Integration & Interoperability) through open APIs and standard interfaces, while maintaining carrier-grade security features (8.5 in Security & Compliance). The platform has demonstrated its ability to reduce both capital and operating expenditures by up to 10-fold, leading to its strong 8.5 score in Pricing & TCO.
Strengths
DriveNets excels in several critical areas, achieving high scores in Market Presence & Vision (8.5) through its proven deployments with tier-1 operators like AT&T. The platform's containerized architecture and support for white-box hardware demonstrate superior isolation and reliability, contributing to its strong Enterprise-Grade Scalability score. Security & Compliance capabilities (8.5) make it suitable for carrier-grade deployments, while its Platform Breadth & Capabilities (8.5) enable comprehensive network functions from core to edge. The company's pricing model and demonstrated cost savings (8.5 in Pricing & TCO) present a compelling value proposition for large network operators.
Weaknesses
Despite strong overall performance, DriveNets shows room for improvement in several areas. The Developer & Ecosystem score of 7.0 reflects the platform's relative youth and still-developing third-party ecosystem. AI/ML Innovation scores 7.0, indicating opportunity for growth in advanced automation and intelligence capabilities. Support & Services (7.5) and User Experience & Flexibility (7.5) scores suggest areas for enhancement as the company expands its global presence and enterprise support infrastructure. Integration with legacy systems and the learning curve for operations teams remain challenges for adoption.
Bottom Line
DriveNets' total score of 80/100 positions it as a strong contender in the carrier-grade NOS market, particularly excelling in scalability, security, and cost efficiency. The platform's proven success with major carriers and strong financial backing make it a compelling choice for large-scale network operators seeking to transform their infrastructure through disaggregation and cloud-native architectures. While some areas like developer ecosystem and AI capabilities show room for growth, the company's strong foundation in core networking capabilities and demonstrated value proposition suggest continued market success. Organizations considering DriveNets should carefully evaluate their operational readiness for cloud-native networking while considering the platform's strong performance in critical areas of scalability, security, and total cost of ownership.