Though the question has been frequently discussed and debated by press and analysts, my take is that “What Is Software-Defined Networking?” isn’t the right question to ask until you answer the question of what problems IT organizations are trying to solve for which an SDN solution is viable. The whole brouhaha about the definition of [...]
Is 100GbE The Easiest Answer To Your Looming Network Obsolescence?
Jun 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I’m getting buried in software-defined networking surveys, consortiums, standards, product announcements, and plans. When you combine them with all the studies about data growth and looming network obsolescence, it’s hard not to at least consider drinking the SDN Kool-Aid. Most everybody agrees that SDN interest — if not the number of actual implementations — is [...]
The Ultimate “Venn”dor Choice Guide
Jun 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A little while back, I wrote a blog entry that used a Venn diagram to look at how the employee, the IT department, and the business needed to be in sync in order for BYOD to work in an organization. The use of the Venn diagram seemed to go down well, so I thought I’d [...]
Is SDN Ready For Prime-Time?
Jun 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The question that I hear repeatedly is “Is Software-Defined Networking ready for production networks?” My answer stems from the experiences and interactions I had over the last several weeks with a wide range of IT professionals who represent the mainstream of the enterprise IT market. Part of that interaction occurred a few weeks ago when [...]
An Insurmountable Problem for SDN?
Jun 3, 2013 by 1 Comment
Software defined networking (SDN) is — in theory — a great idea. By abstracting the control and management functions of a network from the physical boxes, the intelligence that is generally carried out through expensive operating systems and firmware held on proprietary silicon in the form of ASICs and FPGAs in individual network hardware items [...]
With NFV Standard, Carriers Jump On The Virtualization Bandwagon
May 31, 2013 by Leave a Comment
There’s a new acronym in the communications continuum, and if NFV (network functions virtualization) hasn’t shown up on your radar yet, i.e. you’re not a Tier-One communications service provider, you might want to spare a few moments to consider just what it is and what it will mean in the future. First seeing the light [...]
SDN Is More Than Just A VLAN For The 21st Century
May 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment
There has been a lot of talk about Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and how it will change the way we view (or do) networking. There has been quite a bit, too, about how it will automate network provisioning and make networks both adaptive and application-oriented. What could perhaps use more explanation is how SDN fits in [...]
Is SDN the next OSI?
May 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In a recent letter to the editor of Network World, the letter’s author suggested that Software-Defined Networking protocols would likely go the way of ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) and OSI (Open Systems Interconnection). To drive home his meaning, the author posed the question “Where are those protocols now?” In part because I have spent a [...]
The Medium-Hanging Fruit for SDN
May 20, 2013 by Leave a Comment
As hot as software-defined networking is today from a media perspective, there are still relatively few production deployments of it from companies not named Google and Baidu. The biggest challenge for mainstream enterprises is trying to understand what, exactly, one would do with an SDN. SDNs promise to deliver a more flexible, agile, programmable, virtual, [...]
The Changing Role of the IT Professional
May 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Over the last few months, I have moderated three software-defined networking (SDN) seminars that were produced by Network World. In each seminar a number of speakers spoke at length about the potential for SDN to automate the vast majority of configuration changes that are now done in a largely manual fashion, and in every session [...]