Customer Spotlight: The Future Takes Shape with JetZero and Nile

Nile’s mission is to be the “easy button” for network and security in on-premises deployments. The company was founded by networking industry veterans, including former Cisco executives John Chambers and Pankaj Patel, to address the complexity of enterprise LAN environments. Nile has pioneered a new architectural approach, backed by numerous patents, that has led to its recognition as a Visionary in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Wired and Wireless LAN Infrastructure. The Nile service is deployed globally across various verticals, powering large-scale environments such as a 12 million square-foot warehouse and concurrently supporting over 200,000 users.

Drew Geyer of JetZero explained that as a revolutionary aviation company developing a next-generation blended wing body aircraft, their network requirements for performance and security are exceptionally demanding. With high-value intellectual property and a $44 billion order backlog, their technology is a prime target for adversaries. However, their initial network, built with top-tier legacy vendors, was a “complete disaster” marked by overwhelming complexity. The small IT team was constantly fighting with a fragile and non-cohesive system of VLANs, ACLs, and bolt-on appliances. This resulted in constant issues, including dead spots across their large hangar, unreliable connections that dropped during crucial investor meetings, and abysmal performance ranging from 3 to 20 Mbps.

Initially skeptical of Nile’s claims, Geyer was won over by their unique philosophy of building security directly into the network fabric rather than adding another tool. A proof-of-concept test “went viral” among employees, who were thrilled with speeds jumping to over 800 Mbps. The full deployment was described as “invisible” to the JetZero IT team, as Nile handled the entire process, delivering a simple, reliable, and high-performing network. The result was a transformative shift from constant firefighting to having a network that operates like a utility, giving the team “peace of mind” to focus on strategic initiatives. Geyer concluded that Nile’s Network-as-a-Service provides the essential foundation that allows JetZero to pursue its mission of building the future of aviation without compromising between security and performance.