But Chew warns that SDN “is not without its flaws. There are risks which must be weighed up when considering a software defined network”. He cites high-impact changes in the production network, the effect on production traffic if implemented incorrectly and the requirement for users to bring together networking, application and programming skills to implement and manage an SDN.
He suggests a hybrid approach that retains the traditional control plane but uses an external controller to enable the programmability and application flow management. “The use of controllers in an SDN is essential to making the network more agile and application-centric,” Chew argues. A hybrid approach also minimises the risks to the production infrastructure.
Mervyn Kelly, EMEA marketing director at Ciena, believes the industry is “just at the beginning of the SDN paradigm shift”. He says there are a variety of ways channel partners can help to determine the software defined networking vision. “For example, network operators and users need to take steps to plan, trial and migrate to SDN architectures. These steps may include helping customers assess their network and identify the critical focus areas and requirements to build a path to SDN.”
“The use of controllers in an SDN is essential to making the network more agile and application-centric” – Andy Chew, Cisco
In addition, security issues need to be identified and addressed, while best practices need to be developed to make the shift from network management to automation in a-cost effective manner. “Channel partners can take an active role in these activities,” Kelly claims, “and in working with their customers to understand their needs, educate them about SDN, and incorporate this knowledge in as the SDN standards are developed.”
Design
Damian Saunders, head of Citrix’s cloud networking group, argues that the issue of “how to design the next data centre to become a programmable platform that understands and has a role to play in the applications that flow through it”. Enterprise customers have already invested in physical networks and building the architecture to run systems in remote offices across WANs and other remote access scenarios. “That job is done, the network has the physical reach they need. There’s been a shift away from reach to capability and they are investing in improving the network’s intelligence and flexibility.
He believes that SDN is good news for partners because it’s the enterprise IT market continuing its investment in existing infrastructure rather than shifting IT services into the cloud. “It’s a return to normality,” he claims.
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