The Total Economic Impact™ Of HPE Apstra Data Center Director

Day 0: Design And Planning Cost Savings

Evidence and data. Interviewees said that after deploying Apstra Data Center Director, they witnessed productivity improvements in the FTEs used. This was seen in Day 0 savings through fewer FTE hours used for preparation and design tasks.

• The network operations manager at a web hosting company described how Apstra Data Center Director reduced upfront data center preparation effort for new fabric deployments. Prior to Apstra, the organization relied on a lean team of two engineers to manually define requirements and configurations. With Apstra Data Center Director, the team leveraged validated designs and templates, eliminating the need to create bespoke plans from scratch. Without these designs and templates, the interviewee noted that the same preparation work would have required significantly more time and engineering resources.

• The head of network infrastructure at an automotive supplier reported that Apstra Data Center Director materially reduced Day 0 design and preparation effort for standing up new data center fabrics. Before Apstra, preparation activities typically required approximately two full days of work and involved multiple engineers to validate designs and configurations. With Apstra, a single engineer could complete design and preparation activities in one to two hours by reusing standardized blueprints and validated architectures. This shift enabled the organization to accelerate data center preparation while reducing dependency on specialized engineering resources.

• The network team leader at an e‑commerce retailer explained that Apstra significantly streamlined data center preparation by enabling template‑driven, intent‑based workflows. Preparation activities that previously required multiple engineers and could take several days to as much as two weeks were reduced to hours and could be completed by a single engineer. By standardizing how designs and configurations were prepared, the organization improved consistency across deployments. This shift allowed the network team to design new environments with less engineering effort.

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• Performing Day 0 tasks for one data center prior to Apstra takes 120 hours for one senior engineer.

• With Apstra, Day 0 tasks take two hours, equating to a 98% reduction in effort.

• The composite prepares one data center each year.

• The fully burdened hourly salary for a senior engineer is $78.

Risks. Forrester recognizes that these results may not be representative of all experiences and the value of the benefit will vary depending on:

• The maturity of an organization’s Day 0 processes prior to Apstra.

• Variation in data center size and complexity.

• Variation in engineering salaries, which can depend on factors such as industry, region, and skill sets.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 10%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $21,000.

Day 1: Deployment Cost Savings

Evidence and data. Interviewees reported that after deploying Apstra Data Center Director, Day 1 data center deployment involved fewer engineers, less manual effort, and lower operational risk.

• At the automotive supplier, the head of network infrastructure described how Apstra’s standardized blueprints and zero-touch provisioning capabilities reduced the complexity and staffing required during Day 1 activities. Before Apstra, data center setup relied on a combination of internal and external engineers to execute and validate configurations. With Apstra, Day 1 deployment could be executed by two internal engineers using predefined blueprints, significantly reducing reliance on external support. This shift effectively reduced hundreds of days of external engineering effort while maintaining consistency across environments.

• The network team leader at an e-commerce retailer shared that Apstra streamlined Day 1 efforts by enabling preconfiguration before deployment and activation of multiple racks at the same time. Prior to Apstra, activating a single rack after cabling required two days to one week of manual configuration and validation. With Apstra, the team could activate one to five racks in minutes by applying predefined connectivity templates and allowing Apstra to automatically validate configuration consistency. This capability enabled rapid scale-out while reducing risk of misconfigurations and overall operational effort.

• The network operations manager at a web hosting company explained that Apstra simplified Day 1 deployment by consolidating intent-based configuration, built-in validation, and topology insights into a single platform. Physical setup of fabrics could be completed in approximately two to three days using three engineers, followed by one day of system-level testing and one day of documentation. The interviewee noted that Apstra’s templated configurations and self-documentation capabilities reduced manual effort for both network and systems teams.

• The network manager at a data management company explained that Apstra enabled smooth and reliable Day 1 execution by enforcing validated configurations and automated checks during deployment activities. The interviewee noted that Apstra’s pre‑flight validation prevented risky configurations from being deployed and allowed the team to proceed confidently during implementation windows. As a result, deployments progressed without issues requiring rollback.

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• Deployment effort per switch requires 20 hours of engineering effort prior to Apstra.

• With Apstra deployment effort is reduced to 1 hour, a 95% reduction.

• The composite organization deploys one data center comprising 30 total switches each year.

• The average hourly rate for a senior engineer is $78.

Risks. Forrester recognizes that these results may not be representative of all experiences and the value of the benefit will vary depending on:

• The maturity of an organization’s Day 1 processes prior to Apstra.

• Variation in data center size and complexity.

• Variation in engineering salaries, which can depend on factors such as industry, region, and skill sets.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 10%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $100,000.

Day 2+: Data Center Operations Cost Savings

Evidence and data. Interviewees reported that after deploying Apstra Data Center Director, day 2 operations required less manual effort, fewer resources, and lower operational risk. Across organizations, built‑in validation, standardized change workflows, and automation improved day‑to‑day efficiency and reduced errors.

• The network operations manager at a web hosting company reported that Apstra reduced ongoing operational effort by compressing routine provisioning and change workflows from hours or days into minutes. For example, provisioning a private cloud service decreased from roughly one day of manual configuration and review to under 30 minutes, and common configuration changes that previously required around an hour were completed in 5 to 10 minutes, representing an estimated reduction in manual effort of more than 80%.
  The interviewee also described a meaningful reduction in configuration-related errors, noting only two human-error incidents over two years with Apstra compared to roughly one per month previously, with remediation now typically handled by a single engineer instead of two to three. Over time, these efficiencies enabled the organization to avoid hiring one to two additional network resources, which the interviewee estimated would have cost approximately $150,000 to $200,000 annually.

• The head of network infrastructure at an automotive supplier indicated that Apstra reduced ongoing operational costs by lowering incident volume and enabling faster, more standardized change execution. The interviewee reported that quarterly network tickets declined from about 30 to approximately five, an 83% reduction in ticket volume, even as the network footprint expanded substantially. In addition, the team shifted network changes from after-hours windows to standard changes during business hours.

• The network team leader at an e-commerce retailer tied ongoing operational savings to faster recovery from misconfigurations and safer execution of changes. The interviewee described incidents that previously required eight hours to diagnose and remediate being resolved in less than 10 to 20 minutes with Apstra, representing an approximate 96% reduction in mean time to resolution.

• The network manager at a data management company said that Apstra reduced reliance on senior staff by enabling routine network changes to be executed safely by a broader set of engineers. The interviewee explained that Apstra’s preflight checks and guardrails reduced operational risk and enabled more engineers to make changes safely, improving team efficiency and reducing dependency on senior resources.

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• Two network engineer FTEs are required to operate a data center prior to Apstra.

• By adopting Apstra data center operations efforts are reduced by 75%, reducing hours to 1,040 per data center.

• The composite organization services three, four, and five data centers in Years 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

• The average hourly pay rate for a network engineer is $60.

Risks. Forrester recognizes that these results may not be representative of all experiences and the value of the benefit will vary depending on:

• Ongoing data center management requirements prior to Apstra.

• The size and complexity of individual data centers.

• The number of data centers operated by an organization.

• Variation in skill sets and network engineer salaries.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 15%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $1.6 million.

Increased Network Stability

Evidence and data. Interviewees consistently reported improved network stability after adopting Apstra Data Center Director, citing fewer outages, faster remediation of issues, and reduced operational disruption even as data center environments grew.

• The network manager at a data management company reported sustained improvements in network stability following the adoption of Apstra. The interviewee reported that prior to Apstra, network outages were frequent, whereas after implementation the organization experienced no Juniper-caused network outages. They attributed this improvement to Apstra’s preflight checks and safeguards, which prevented risky changes from being deployed and enabled more engineers to operate the network safely. Over time, the environment required less reactive attention, with stability becoming the expected operating state rather than an ongoing concern.

• The network team leader at an e‑commerce retailer reported that Apstra materially improved network stability and reduced the business impact of configuration‑related incidents. For example, the interviewee described an outage prior to Apstra that took approximately eight hours to resolve and was estimated to cost the business roughly RON 1 million, or about US$215,000, due to service disruption during that period. With Apstra, configuration issues could be detected and remediated within 10 to 20 minutes, significantly limiting the duration and impact of incidents when they occurred. The interviewee emphasized that rapid rollback and automated validation capabilities enabled the team to contain issues before they escalated into prolonged service disruptions.

• The network operations manager at a web hosting company reported an improvement in network stability, citing fewer configuration errors and faster remediation when issues occurred. Since deploying Apstra, the organization experienced only two configuration‑related incidents over a two‑year period, compared to roughly one per month prior to adoption.

• The head of network infrastructure at an automotive supplier shared that network stability improved after adopting Apstra, with a significant decline in network‑related tickets even as network scale grew. They attributed this improvement to standardized designs, validated configurations, and more predictable change execution enabled by Apstra.

Modeling and assumptions. Based on the interviews, Forrester assumes the following about the composite organization:

• The composite organization experiences three significant network outages per year prior to Apstra.

• The average duration of each outage is 8 hours.

• The cost of outage per hour is $30,000 of lost business revenue.

Risks. Forrester recognizes that these results may not be representative of all experiences and the value of the benefit will vary depending on:

• The average frequency, duration, and severity of network outages experienced prior to Apstra.

• The cost of a network outage, which can vary depending on several factors, including application criticality, business reliance on data center availability, the scale of user and system impact, lost revenue exposure, and productivity impacts.

Results. To account for these risks, Forrester adjusted this benefit downward by 20%, yielding a three-year, risk-adjusted total PV (discounted at 10%) of $1.4 million.

Unquantified Benefits

Interviewees mentioned the following additional benefits that their organizations experienced but were not able to quantify:

• Reduced reliance on senior or specialized engineers. Interviewees reported that Apstra lowered the skill barrier for managing data center networks by embedding guardrails, validation, and standardized workflows. Across the interviewees’ organizations, tasks that previously required senior engineers or external specialists could be performed safely by a broader set of engineers using Apstra. This reduced dependency on scarce expertise and improved team flexibility, particularly during routine changes and operational tasks. As a result, teams were less constrained by availability of senior resources and better able to distribute operational responsibility.

• Reduced risk in executing changes. Interviewed customers consistently reported higher confidence when executing changes after adopting Apstra. Predeployment validation, intent‑based controls, and automated rollback capabilities reduced the risk of misconfiguration. As a result, teams were more comfortable executing changes during regular business hours instead of restricting work to after‑hours maintenance windows. This increased confidence enabled teams to move forward with planned updates more quickly and with lower operational risk.

• Improved visibility into network state and dependencies. Interviewees reported that Apstra improved visibility into network status, topology, and dependencies through graphical fabric visualizations, health indicators, and telemetry‑driven insights. Visualization of the network, combined with anomaly detection and status indicators, enabled teams to quickly understand the scope and impact of changes or issues without extensive manual investigation. As a result, teams spent less time stitching together information across tools and found troubleshooting more intuitive and less dependent on individual familiarity with the environment.

• Standardization and reduction in configuration drift. Interviewees reported that Apstra helped enforce consistent, validated designs across environments, reducing configuration drift and variability between sites. They highlighted the use of templates, blueprints, and built‑in drift detection to ensure changes aligned with the network intent and that deviations were identified quickly. By standardizing configurations, teams experienced more predictable deployments and spent less time addressing issues caused by manual errors.

Flexibility

The value of flexibility is unique to each customer. There are multiple scenarios in which a customer might implement Apstra Data Center Director and later realize additional uses and business opportunities, including:

• Ability to adapt the data center network to meet changing business needs. The head of network infrastructure at an automotive supplier described how Apstra improved the organization’s ability to adapt its network infrastructure in response to evolving business requirements. The interviewee explained that Apstra helped accelerate the adoption of new protocol sets and technologies, reducing the time required for major initiatives from one to two years to approximately six months. The interviewee shared: “We can adjust our infrastructure according to business needs much quicker.”

Flexibility would also be quantified when evaluated as part of a specific project (described in more detail in Total Economic Impact Approach).