SDN: What is it, and why do I care?

With all the hype and expectations around SDN (Software Defined Networking) these days, there’s also a lot of confusion around what it really means. A year or two ago, the word on the street was that SDN was going to be the answer – it could program the network. But since then we’ve realized that what’s really driving SDN is that it enables dynamic response times, so businesses can quickly adapt to meet rapidly changing requirements.

So, what exactly is Software Defined Networking?

Software Defined Networking is a way to describe taking the network functions out of the equation in order to virtualize or control the network through the software. SDN decouples the operating system that makes decisions about where network traffic is sent. It does this from the underlying hardware that forwards traffic to its destinations, so it can be handled by a software application.

SDN allows network administrators to achieve the network agility required by increasingly virtualized and dynamic applications. The demand for SDN has become even more apparent in today’s cloud environment because it allows the administrator to improve network efficiency, adding more flexibility and efficiency in day-to-day network operations.

Benefits of SDN

Cost Reduction: SDN has numerous benefits, but one of the most obvious is in cost reduction. In a traditional network, there are certain limited hardware and software pieces, but when a network requires additional resources, there are additional costs in buying new hardware and licensing.

Flexibility: With SDN, the network is brought into the software, leaving more choice and flexibility in the hardware portion of the network. In addition, as the network needs to grow, with SDN, a network administrator can simply add more virtual switches or routers rather than having to buy them.

Visibility: SDN can also provide a more granular approach to network security, a huge concern in today’s IT departments. With SDN, administrators can have better, more targeted control of the protections in place for each application and device being utilized to access the network.

Portability: The network also becomes portable in a SDN architecture. This allows the flexibility in moving to the cloud. Users are demanding more content to an ever-increasing number of devices. By implementing SDN, network administrators can increase network responsiveness, providing a more-seamless experience for the user.

How do I prepare for SDN in my network?

Currently, SDN is utilized only in really progressive IT shops, but it’s rapidly gaining traction – and if it’s not in use in your organization, it mostly likely will be in the near future.

At OneNeck, we understand that your organization probably just wants to automate your IT tasks, accelerate your application deployment, make your cloud more flexible, and better align your IT infrastructure with business requirements. The good news is that even if you’re not an SDN expert, we can help you understand what SDN is and how to ensure the IT decisions you make today will migrate to this new architecture in the coming years.

Contact us today to start the conversation with one of our experts http://www.oneneck.com/contact-us.aspx.

(This sponsored content was provided by OneNeck IT Solutions.)