Innovation and change in the technology sector is an everyday event, and often just a ho-hum response is given. Every once in a while though, something really big comes along and it’s a potential game-changer. Think the smartphone introduction or cloud computing. A new report from Stifel does a deep dive on a new application that may have a big impact.

The report notes that there has been a ton of interest in container technology and Docker over the past two years. A container is similar to a virtual machine (VM), but lighter and quicker to turn on and off, making it more scalable in a cloud deployment. Docker containers wrap up a piece of software in a complete file-system that contains everything it needs to run: code, run-time, system tools, system libraries, anything you can install on a server. This guarantees that it will always run the same, regardless of the environment it is running in.

Stifel points to five stocks it rates at Buy that may benefit directly from the deployment of this new innovation.

Arista Networks

Arista Networks Inc. (NYSE: ANET) went public in the summer of 2014 and continued to be one of the hot tech IPO stories of the past year. It delivers software-driven cloud networking solutions for large data center and computing environments. In addition, its 10/40/100 Gigabit Ethernet switches offer scalability and performance, with over 2,700 customers and more than 2 million cloud networking ports deployed worldwide. At the core of Arista’s platform is EOS, an advanced network operating system.

Many on Wall Street think that Arista could benefit from dual supplier requirements at the Web 2.0 and cloud portals and could see upside to the lofty 30% compound annual growth rates currently forecast. Stifel sees it benefiting as a networking vendor that is levered to data-center deployments.

The Stifel price target for the stock is $95. The Thomson/First Call consensus price target is $90.39 Shares closed most recently at $61.19.

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Ciena

A leading maker of fiber optic networking equipment sold to telecom carriers, Ciena Corp. (NYSE: CIEN) is expected to get a large chunk of the Verizon 100 Gbps Dense Wave Division Multiplex Metro optical network build-out. Some Wall Street analysts think the company could see as much as 30% of the total, and that Verizon could end up being as much as a 10% customer next year.

Ciena leverages its deep expertise in packet and optical networking and distributed software automation to deliver solutions in alignment with its OPn architecture for next-generation networks. The company enables a high-scale, programmable infrastructure that can be controlled and adapted by network-level applications and provide open interfaces to coordinate computing, storage and network resources in a unified, virtualized environment.

In addition to the Verizon deal, a majority of enterprise and Web/cloud data centers are in the process of running high speed 40/100G optical interconnects between their data centers. Some Wall Street analysts feel that Ciena can hit 45% gross margins and low to mid-teens operating margins over the next two or three years. The Stifel team points to the fact the company is leveraged to the data center interconnect market.

The Stifel price target is $30, above the $27.96 consensus target. The stock closed Wednesday at $20.72.

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Cisco

This is one of the top mega-cap technology stock picks on Wall Street and perhaps a surprising defensive pick for volatile markets like we have witnessed. Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) posted outstanding earnings in August, and many on Wall Street have been raising price targets for the networking giant significantly higher. Cisco is also one of the 24/7 Wall St. top 10 stocks to own for the next decade.

Cisco earlier this year won an important contract for the Verizon build-out of the company’s next-generation 100G metro network. While Cisco’s optical business is small as a part of total revenue, this win is seen by Wall Street as a significant endorsement of the investments Cisco has been making into its optics business.

Analysts across Wall Street point to an estimated double-digit bookings momentum for Cisco’s Meraki Cloud Services. Many think that Meraki likely will be a $1 billion plus run-rate business this year, with an incredible 50% to 70% compounded annual growth rate. A jump from 40 GE to 100 GE data center switching and next generation security are also adding to the total sales profile and product mix. This is another company leveraged to the huge deployments at data centers that Stifel likes.

Cisco investors are paid a very solid 3.21% dividend. The Stifel price target is $34, and the consensus is lower at $31.02. Shares closed Wednesday at $26.25.

Infinera

Another solid play for investors in data networking, Infinera Corp. (NASDAQ: INFN) provides Intelligent Transport Networks for network operators, enabling reliable, easy to operate, high-capacity optical networks. Infinera leverages its unique large-scale photonic integrated circuits to deliver innovative optical networking solutions for the most demanding network environments. Intelligent Transport Networks enable carriers, cloud network operators, governments and enterprises to automate, converge and scale their data center, metro, long-haul and subsea optical networks.

The company also blew away second-quarter earnings estimates and continues to be recommended across Wall Street. Revenues came in ahead of estimates. Infinera also provided forward guidance that was very strong.

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Top Wall Street analysts think Infinera could announce at the October 6 analyst day a Metro Core Wavelength-Division-Multiplex (WDM) product. They feel a Metro WDM product could expand Infinera’s Technology Acceptance Model from $4.5 billion to $15.0 billion. Stifel points to the fact the company is leveraged to data center interconnect market, making it another benefactor of the new technology.

The Stifel price target is $27, and the consensus target is $26.89. Shares ended Wednesday at $19.56.

Infoblox

This stock has been absolutely mauled recently and could offer aggressive investors perhaps the best upside potential. Infoblox Inc. (NYSE: BLOX) delivers Automated Network Control solutions, the fundamental technology that connects end users, devices and networks. These solutions enable approximately 7,100 enterprises and service providers to transform, secure and scale complex networks.

The company recently unveiled Infoblox Internal Domain Name System (DNS) Security, the most comprehensive solution from a single vendor for securing DNS inside enterprise networks. Infoblox Internal DNS Security is a hardened DNS appliance that turns the internal DNS server from a vulnerability into a strength by providing protection against exploitation of DNS for infrastructure attacks, malware, advanced persistent threats (APTs) and data exfiltration via DNS.

New customers being added is a key leading indicator in Wall Street’s view of the company’s overall order book visibility and the fundamental basis for accelerating revenue growth trends, as they move into the next fiscal year. The Stifel analysts see it as a boost for the company as its solution offers a way to centrally manage and automate IP address management at scale.

The $23 Stifel price target is lower than the consensus target of $26.62. The shares closed Wednesday at $15.98.

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New innovations often can generate revenues through an ecosystem in technology as the applications are spread over many subsectors. The Docker/container technology could uproot old standards and be huge for these top companies and others. Given the nature of these stocks, they are suitable for aggressive growth accounts.

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