Cloud networking has become a must-have capability for a wide range of businesses, and Arista Networks (NYSE: ANET) has sought to meet high demand from customers looking to simplify their information technology footprint and take advantage of cloud-based services. With all the hype about the industry, companies providing those services need to show that they're benefiting from the positive trends toward the cloud, and coming into Thursday's third-quarter financial report, Arista investors wanted to see signs of ongoing strength.