| SDN challenge | |
| “When the security profile and application are paired, the underlying network itself must be addressed” | 
Asystec Matthew Sherian |
| Software defined networking is the biggest change in the IT Industry in years. Historically, the “plumbing” of the IT industry has been static and slow to implement change due to the inherent risk in modifying it. This has led to many organisational challenges, impediments to the development process, delays in projects, and an ever increasing attack surface; increasing organisational risk. These areas, development, business innovation, and security are all potentially solved by moving the network stack into the software realm, where computing, and storage have been mature for years.However, the mechanisms, means and products are all quite challenging for IT organisations to come to grips with. Overcoming resistance to change from teams that may not have experience in this area, and consequently need to be educated, as to the change in mind-set needed understand the daunting world of software defined networking.
Technologies such as NSX and ACI are quite mature at this stage. For instance, NSX has been successfully deployed in major financial institutions, government and military organisations, and other highly regulated environments. One of the best use cases for these environments is micro-segmentation. Moving the security profile for applications from the old mind-set of extremely strong perimeter security with little, to no filtering once past the edge. Micro-segmentation, changes this by deploying perimeter security with each application and environment. When the security profile and application are paired, the underlying network itself must be addressed. NSX solves this problem by leveraging native virtualised logical switching technology, based on Distributed virtual switches, and the VXLAN standard, allowing Layer-2 networks to be moved and stretched across data centres. |
|
| Emerging concepts | |
| “By unifying storage, data networking, and network services, this ensures architectural flexibility and consistent networking across physical, virtual and mixed hypervisor cloud environments. This also ensures improved management and troubleshooting capabilities in data centre environments” |  Datapac Karen O’Connor, general manager service delivery |
| We are seeing new and updated technologies and concepts emerging on the networking landscape such as Software Defined Networking (SDN), Network Automation and Virtual Extensible LANs (VXLAN). However, we haven’t seen them being widely adopted in the Irish market. These are new and exciting technologies that will change how we build and design networks in the coming years.With the adoption of virtualisation and cloud platforms increasing, SDN enables more intelligent network architecture deployment. It gives network administrators and providers the ability to prioritise and manage traffic more effectively and cost efficiently. By unifying storage, data networking, and network services, this ensures architectural flexibility and consistent networking across physical, virtual and mixed hypervisor cloud environments. This also ensures improved management and troubleshooting capabilities in data centre environments.
While SDN and other evolving networking technologies become more popular, we would advise Irish businesses to consider network deployments in tandem with their wider infrastructure, cloud and data centre platform and policies. Seek external advice as necessary to guide your business through the challenges and opportunities associated with SDN and similar evolutions in network infrastructure. Managed Service Providers like Datapac can provide expert and independent advice to organisations as they look to implement new and upgraded network infrastructures. We can also design, implement, support and manage customers’ networking technologies in tandem with their applications, storage, virtualisation and hosting needs. |
|
| Wireless addition | |
| “We’re no longer relying on wires for the whole solution anymore — sure, it’s nice to have a physical, tangible connectivity solution, but it’s not essential; more enterprise networks today are realising the benefits of going wireless” |  Viatel Damien McCann |
| Viatel is a leading and well-established connectivity and solutions provider and has seen many changes in its 14 year history. Requirements that many companies had to accept as not possible in the past have become standard solutions in today’s always-connected world. Location has held many enterprise networks back from flourishing and hindered their growth as sourcing reliable and high quality Internet services have been a challenge. However, as infrastructure technology has evolved over the years, location is becoming less of an issue when it comes to connectivity and accessing the Internet.We’re no longer relying on wires for the whole solution anymore — sure, it’s nice to have a physical, tangible connectivity solution, but it’s not essential; more enterprise networks today are realising the benefits of going wireless.Digging up fields to lay fibre across rural areas, such as in Ireland, just to bring connectivity to one building is an expensive and tedious task with little-to-zero return of investment for the end-user. Similarly, in busy and built up metropolitan areas, you have the same struggles as the rural areas, but with the added hassle of sourcing permission to dig up main roads.The solution’s in the sky.Viatel offers an extensive, fully licensed radio service that many companies rely upon for communication. Rather than investing in fibre, they look to radio waves to carry their data undisrupted through the sky delivering perfect-quality connectivity. Over fields in rural areas, or buildings in cities, radio waves and wireless connectivity are quickly proving themselves to be a favourable technology. |
|
Subscribers 0
Fans 0
Followers 0
Followers