Riverbed & Intel partner to enhance digital experiences

Riverbed has announced a partnership with Intel to enhance digital experiences by extending observability to peripheral devices using Intel Thunderbolt and Wi-Fi technologies.

Riverbed has introduced Aternity for Intel Thunderbolt and Wi-Fi, an observability solution that integrates advanced analytics and visibility into devices with Intel Thunderbolt and Wi-Fi technologies. This offering utilises the Intel Connectivity Analytics software development kit to provide below-the-operating-system telemetry, allowing IT teams to improve digital experiences for end-users by extending visibility beyond traditional PCs and laptops.

The new module is the first third-party addition to the Riverbed Unified Agent, designed to mitigate agent fatigue by enabling IT teams to gather more data without deploying additional agents. Dave Donatelli, CEO of Riverbed, expressed his enthusiasm about the collaboration, saying, "I'm thrilled to announce at EMPOWEREDx the next chapter in Riverbed's partnership with Intel. Today, we're unveiling a first-of-its-kind solution to expand observability beyond the PC into connected devices with Intel Thunderbolt and Wi-Fi technologies, providing IT teams with new levels of visibility across the device ecosystem that will enhance digital experiences for millions of employees. With this innovation, we're addressing the "black box" effect where IT is left guessing and relying on manual troubleshooting."

Eric McLaughlin, Vice President and General Manager of the Connectivity Solutions Group at Intel, commented on the partnership, "We are excited to deepen our collaboration with Riverbed, driving innovation that transforms the IT landscape. By integrating Intel Connectivity Analytics technology with Riverbed's analytics and telemetry, we're enhancing observability and changing the way organisations manage performance for devices with Intel Thunderbolt and Wi-Fi technologies. Together, we are empowering IT teams with the insights they need to optimise digital experiences, quickly resolve issues before they impact end users, and better navigate the complexities of modern digital environments."

The application of Riverbed Aternity is expected to significantly alter IT management and the employee experience, especially considering the reliance on high-performance computing facilitated by Intel processors, Thunderbolt, and Wi-Fi technologies, essential for both data-intensive industries and regular office tasks. This shift addresses the current challenge where organisations lack real-time visibility into peripheral device performance.

Bob Laliberte, Principal Analyst at theCUBE Research, highlighted the importance of this development, stating, "To effectively deliver consistently great digital experiences to all employees, operations teams need more granular levels of observability. Riverbed, in collaboration with Intel, now offers organisations the ability to extend their observability to connected devices with Intel Thunderbolt and Wi-Fi technologies via a third-party module in the Riverbed Unified Agent."

Key features of the new solution include a telemetry source powered by the Intel Connectivity Analytics SDK, providing deep analysis of critical metrics from devices, and advanced analytics for addressing employee experience use cases related to Thunderbolt and Wi-Fi. The solution features intuitive dashboards and pre-built remediations for issues such as driver and firmware updates, enhancing resolution speeds and user satisfaction.

Aternity for Intel Thunderbolt and Wi-Fi is positioned as the first digital employee experience (DEX) solution to utilise visibility into Thunderbolt peripheral devices and Intel Wi-Fi-equipped PCs. It offers AI-enabled insights from real end-user data, delivering crucial performance metrics and improving troubleshooting capabilities within essential business processes. Riverbed received recognition as a leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for DEX Tools for its Aternity solution.

This new connectivity module will be available on a limited basis by the end of 2024, with general availability expected in early 2025.