Jim Frey, managing research director for Enterprise Management Associates, says integrating Riverbed technology is a win for Juniper.

"Juniper's looking for better coverage, and didn't have this kind of technology within their portfolio. This makes them more fully competitive with , for instance," he says.

Gartner vice president and distinguished analyst Mark Fabbi agrees, saying that Juniper's struggles in 2011 have prompted a more aggressive attitude from the company.

"[In 2011] there was all this hype about QFabric, but they didn't really have anything to deliver yet. When they delivered it, while it was interesting technology, it overshot what most of the market would need, and so it was really difficult to get started with it," he says, adding that the company recently released a more accessible version of the technology.

Now, Fabbi says, Juniper is acting with more urgency - and reaping the rewards.