HPE finally closes Juniper deal, but offers no details on what happens next

HPE has completed its takeover of Juniper Networks, but the conjoined pair isn't yet ready to discuss details about how the networking business will fit into HPE's existing lineup alongside Aruba.

This lack of detail comes despite the fact that it's been 18 months since HPE announced the Juniper buy, in a deal said to be worth $14 billion.

The transaction will double the size of HPE's networking business, the company claims, and allow it to offer customers a "comprehensive portfolio of networking solutions." The deal closes just days after HPE agreed to an antitrust settlement deal with the US Department of Justice (DoJ), wherein it will divest its Instant On Wi-Fi business and license the source code for Juniper's AI Ops for Mist, an AI-based network management tool.

Now the real work can begin, but the companies were tight-lipped about what happens next. Rami Rahim, former CEO of Juniper and now the lead of the combined HPE Networking business, revealed during a press conference on Wednesday that he is just starting work on an "integration strategy," while both the HPE Aruba and HPE Juniper brands are set to be retained.

"I'm rolling up my sleeves now and starting on a thoughtful integration strategy," Rahim said. "We want everyone to recognize that all our customers, whether they are starting their journey on the Aruba side or the Juniper side, are going to have a path to an exciting true north" – meaning a pathway to secure AI-native and cloud-native networking, he claimed.

However, it is "too early" to provide specifics about many details, including how Juniper's channel partner program stands to be integrated with HPE's, and what is going to happen with Juniper's workforce once its team is integrated into the HPE business structure.

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When asked how Juniper's Mist AI operations will be integrated with HPE's OpsRamp, Rahim said, "This is day one and I'm just getting started." He added that his objective as leader of the combined organization is to "build the best networking business really on the planet," claiming that this "comes down to the thoughtful exercise we're embarking on," and that "nobody is going to get left behind."

Speaking of its deal with the DoJ to get the acquisition cleared, HPE President and CEO Antonio Neri said it agreed to offer a license to Juniper Mist via an auction, but that covered only the AI operations part of the technology.

Neri also said that Aruba Instant On, which it agreed to divest, is a "very new business" that specifically targets small businesses and is "completely separate from the traditional HPE Aruba platform," which is why it was willing to let it go as part of the deal.

In its Q2 earnings announced last month, HPE reported revenue of $7.6 billion, up 6 percent from the same period a year earlier. ®