Arista Review, Pricing & Features

Arista Networks (NYSE: ANET) builds cloud data center switches and the EOS network operating system. See company history, scale, and core products.

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Last updated
July 19, 2026
Founded
2004
Headquarters
Santa Clara, California, United States

What Is Arista

Arista Networks is a publicly traded (NYSE: ANET) company that designs and manufactures high-performance networking switches, routers, and software for cloud data centers, enterprise campuses, and AI infrastructure.

The company was founded in 2004 under the name Arastra by Andy Bechtolsheim, David Cheriton, and Kenneth Duda, and was renamed Arista Networks in 2008. It has been led for many years by CEO Jayshree Ullal, a former senior Cisco executive, and went public in 2014.

Arista is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and has grown into a major networking vendor, competing directly with legacy players like Cisco for cloud, enterprise, and AI data center networking business.

Key Features

Arista's flagship technology is EOS, the Extensible Operating System, a Linux-based, modular network operating system that runs as a single software image across the company's entire switch and router portfolio, simplifying operations and reducing fragmentation.

The company built its hardware around merchant silicon rather than fully custom chips, allowing it to bring high-performance, cost-competitive switches to market quickly for large-scale cloud and data center deployments.

Arista's product line has expanded over time to include campus networking, network monitoring and management (CloudVision), network security, and infrastructure purpose-built for AI and machine learning workloads at scale.

Pricing

Arista does not publish fixed pricing tiers. As an enterprise hardware and software vendor, pricing is quote-based and scales with the size and complexity of a customer's network deployment, typically negotiated through direct sales or channel partners.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Large, established public company with a strong track record of revenue growth
  • EOS provides a consistent software experience across the entire hardware portfolio
  • Strong reputation among cloud providers and large enterprises for reliability at scale
  • Positioned well for the growing AI data center networking market
  • Considered a credible, software-centric alternative to legacy vendors like Cisco

Cons

  • Enterprise, quote-based pricing makes cost comparison difficult without direct sales contact
  • Primarily serves large enterprises and cloud providers, less accessible for small businesses
  • Significant upfront capital investment required for hardware deployments
  • Competes in a market with fast-moving incumbents and new AI-networking entrants

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Arista Networks make

Arista Networks designs and sells high-performance networking switches, routers, and software, including its EOS network operating system, for cloud data centers, enterprise campuses, and AI infrastructure.

Who founded Arista Networks

Arista was founded in 2004 (originally as Arastra) by Andy Bechtolsheim, David Cheriton, and Kenneth Duda, and renamed Arista Networks in 2008.

Is Arista Networks publicly traded

Yes, Arista trades on the NYSE under the ticker ANET and went public in 2014.

Where is Arista Networks headquartered

Arista is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.

What is EOS

EOS, the Extensible Operating System, is Arista's Linux-based network operating system that runs as a single software image across its switching and routing products.

Who leads Arista Networks

Arista has long been led by CEO Jayshree Ullal, a former senior Cisco executive.

How does Arista pricing work

Arista does not publish fixed pricing; costs are quote-based and scale with the size of a customer's network deployment.

Who are Arista's main competitors

Arista's main competitors include Cisco and other major networking hardware and software vendors.

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