SDN

Traditional Vs. SDN networking?

With traditional networking, the switch or router control plane uses CPU cycles, which processes the traffic - such as IP routing, path selection and QoS. The data plane uses the hardware ASIC, which is responsible for the path forwarding of the IP payload.

With Software Defined Networking, the control plane is decoupled, abstracted and virtualised in a central location (on-premise or in the cloud) from the data plane that is left behind on the network switch or router.

What are the benefits of SDN?

A central control plane, orchestration or brain (different industry speak, referring to the same concept), facilitates a central control and management for multiple network devices.

A single pane of glass to manage the network infrastructure is the holy grail for administrators. The days of having to touch every network device when making network changes are long gone.

The by-product of orchestration being centralised offers a greater security posture where additional layers of security can be built-up around to prevent nefarious actors.

Because the orchestration is a software that can be virtualised, several programable functions (with the use of API) have been built into the SDN architecture, which means SDN can be leveraged with open source or proprietary tools that enhance the agility of the SDN offering. The ability to deploy or release elastic infrastructure, services and applications in rapid succession create flexibility.

The overall SDN landscape drastically reduces initial CAPEX investment because the ability to virtualise the network devices thus avoiding over provisioning and vendor lock-in. Ongoing OPEX reductions are presented due to a clear reduction in time spent with change management, configuration and easier troubleshooting: all of which value - drives ROI.

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