- The complexity of traditional networks makes them difficult to manage and maintain due to intricate network mappings and unique traffic flow routing setups.
- Rigid network configurations constrain the agility of fully utilizing the efficiency and capabilities of virtualized resources.
- Network vendor landscape is dominated by a few proprietary hardware vendors, limiting the opportunities to reach out to more cost efficient or streamlined solutions.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Software defined networking (SDN) gives organizations the opportunity to introduce open standards, commoditized hardware, and the potential for a multi-vendor network solution.
- The current version of SDN is not the mature concept and technology set that will dominate corporate networks for the next generation of computing. Follow the development of SDN as it gains more exposure with practical use cases and real case studies.
- Cost reduction is not necessarily the dominant driver towards SDN. SDN can show value in the transformation of business models, streamline IT processes, reallocating resources, and enabling ubiquitous network access; thereby, opening new business and IT opportunities.
Impact and Result
- SDN is a bleeding-edge approach for network modernization. Realize that SDN needs to further develop before it is ready for mainstream deployment.
- Despite SDN’s infancy, organizations can begin assessing their own networks and business strategies to determine if they can leverage the full potential of SDN while minimizing risk.
- SDN promises to reduce network management and administration costs by minimizing the number of unique and manual configurations, easing network refreshes, and increasing network visibility though abstractions and automation.