Debunking 5 Common Myths About SONiC

 

In the ever-evolving world of networking, SONiC NOS (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud) has emerged as a game-changer for data center and edge networks. However, like any technology, SONiC has not been immune to myths and misconceptions. When we talk to users evaluating SONiC for their network, we often hear… “SONiC is not ready for us, at least just yet”. In this blog, we’ll debunk five common myths about SONiC.

1. SONiC is not ready for the Enterprise

Myth:  One of the most common things we hear is that SONiC does not have features such as EVPN, or MC-LAG, and users are not comfortable about its quality standards. It is also difficult to integrate with our existing NetOps tools

Reality:  The table below gives a good high-level overview of what is already available for use cases across various network architectures. This list is evolving very fast, and if you follow the SONiC community then with-in next few months this list will increase in use cases, as well as in vendors who support those use cases.

Use Case	Essential Protocols	Supported By
IP CLOS	BGP Unnumbered	Most vendors
AI Fabric	RoCE	Several vendors
IP CLOS w/EVPN	EVPN T1 to T6	Several vendors
Edge & Campus	MLAG, 802.1x, STP, POE	Several vendors

To see evidence of whether or not SONiC has the support for the above capabilities, and try them out on any hardware sourced from ANY of the white-box vendors, you can schedule a demo in our ONE Center. We will not only walk you through each of the available options, but also show how SONiC can be easily integrated within your existing NetOps environment. 

At Aviz Networks we help accelerate SONiC Community feature development, and we work with customers to develop the features they need and give them back to the community. Essentially, Aviz is bringing a paradigm-shifting new concept to market called “Roadmap By-pass”, where customers get the features they need, when they need it,  in a more agile fashion instead of a single vendor prioritizing their own desires or for the “highest bidder”.

FAQ’s

1. Is SONiC ready for enterprise networks and complex data center deployments?

Answer: Yes, SONiC is enterprise-ready and supports essential protocols like EVPN, MC-LAG, BGP Unnumbered, RoCE, and more. It is already deployed by major organizations like eBay, Comcast, and Bloomberg, and is rapidly evolving with contributions from a large community of vendors and developers.

2. Do I need a large team of expert network engineers to deploy and operate SONiC?

Answer: No, with the right tools, support, and automation solutions like Aviz ONES, enterprises of all sizes — even with existing teams — can successfully deploy and manage SONiC. Many organizations have streamlined their SONiC migration without requiring massive engineering teams.

3. Is open-source SONiC less secure compared to proprietary NOS solutions?

Answer: No, SONiC’s open-source model actually enhances security. With a global community constantly reviewing the code, vulnerabilities are often identified and patched faster than in closed-source systems. Proper configuration, monitoring, and maintenance further strengthen SONiC’s security posture.

4. Is conducting a SONiC Proof of Concept (POC) complex and difficult to manage?

Answer: Not anymore. Through Aviz’s ONE Center and its partnerships with major hardware vendors, enterprises can easily conduct SONiC POCs across multi-vendor platforms without upfront hardware purchases, simplifying the evaluation and procurement process significantly.

5. Is SONiC just a short-term trend or is it a long-term shift in networking?

Answer: SONiC is a major long-term shift. Backed by Microsoft, OCP, and major networking vendors like Cisco, Broadcom, and Arista, SONiC addresses critical needs in flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness — making it the future foundation for open, cloud-first networking strategies.