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FEATURE: SDN
From less than half a
billion dollars in 2013 to
an expected US$14 billion
by 2021, the global market
for Software-defined
Networking (SDN) is
currently one of the fastest-
growing in the ICT sector.
But unlike more appealing
technology such as Artificial
Intelligence and data
analysis, Ian Jansen van
Rensburg, Senior Systems
Engineer at VMware,
says it is not getting the
recognition it deserves
despite it reinventing the
way companies embrace
the Fourth Industrial
Revolution.
A
t its most basic, SDN is a
network management
approach more akin to
cloud computing than
to the plugging in and
setting up of routers. As the name suggests,
it is about using a software-first approach to
enable more dynamic network configurations
to improve performance and monitoring.
Flexibility
Not only does this software-first approach
result in centralised network provisioning, it
offers administrators a more holistic way of
viewing enterprise management. With SDN
providing the capabilities to manage both
the physical and virtual switches and devices
linked to a network, managers can more
readily test various configurations without
negatively impacting the network itself.
It also enables network setup to be faster
and more agile than the traditionally limited
(or rather confined) approach of the past.
And even though there is still some debate
on whether SDN delivers cost-savings, it
certainly does provide for better security
across application and endpoint levels that
free up a significant amount of resources.
Removing complexity
One of the most significant changes SDN
provides is that it removes the reliance on
hardware appliances. Instead, it delivers
a more virtual experience to users. Of
course, physical access points will always
be required but their management and
configurability will be enhanced with a
software-based view that makes upgrades
as easy as the scalability offering by cloud
data centres.
By giving administrators the ability to
manage the entire organisational unit as a
single entity, aspects such as fault-finding,
service optimisations and adapting network
requirements to specific user needs becomes
as easy as the ‘flicking’ of virtual switches in
a dashboard.
This also facilitates a more vendor-neutral
approach as SDN is, generally speaking,
focused on open standards. With no vendor
lock-in, companies can easily swop out
problematic network devices (both
physical and virtual) with no negative
impact on performance.
Embracing the changing
network landscape
with SDN
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INTELLIGENTCIO
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