The architecture calls for dedicating redundant EX switches to each data-center rack to support access to the servers. These same switches are connected to each other across racks to create a single logical switch and virtual backplane across which servers can communicate.

This alternative to having the rack switches communicate upstream to an aggregation switch and perhaps core switches then back to the access switches atop another rack, removing a layer or two of switching that reduces latency, Juniper says.

The company is also touting a security architecture in which devices share incident data and automatically react to threats. For instance, a Juniper IDP intrusion-detection appliance that spots a device breaching security might trigger a change in firewall rules to isolate the threatening device, the company says.

Management software could also aggregate each instance of the threatening device's malicious activity spotted across the network and present them as having a single root cause, reducing IT time to track it down, according to Juniper.

Cooperation among Juniper's Unified Access Control gear -- Juniper's flavor of NAC -- and EX switches could deliver better network performance to those who need it most. After associating a device with a user, their role and the access method being used (LAN, wireless, remote access), Juniper switches could enforce the appropriate QoS for that user as set in policies. This goes beyond traditional NAC that validates endpoints and monitors behavior.

Nikos Theodosopoulis of UBS Investment Research says if EX switches succeed, they could help the company reach sustained revenue increases of 20% or more. "However, at this early stage of product trials it is difficult to handicap the success rate of the EX-series line," he says.