In the recent past, the networking industry was primarily focused on hardware components for providing better network infrastructure. Networking performance used to be only about hardware elements. But today due to technological advancement, this networking industry has shifted its core base from hardware components to software-based codified solutions. In this current dynamic environment, total dependence on traditional networks will lead to reducing the pace of the networking cycle and will struggle to keep up network infrastructure as per the business requirement. These rigid hardware-dependent networks are not able to adapt as per the requirement without proper reconfiguration. They are inflexible and for adjustments in the network infrastructure manual intervention is required.
So companies are evolving as time changes and this change in time leads to change in technology, hence as of now companies are using a new networking approach named Software-defined networking (SDN) to manage and configure IT networks. Software-defined Networking is a term that determines and makes sure that the network must be agile and flexible and can adapt as per the requirement. SDN ensures that the network structure and its operations can be managed programmatically which will allow quick adjustments in network topology.
Why are Companies switching to Software Defined Networking?
Using SDN has a variety of benefits to organizations, it gives a simplified networking infrastructure that is being operated by professional service providers using programmable inputs. Some of its benefits are as follows:
- Agility and flexibility:– In today’s fast paced environment flexibility and the ability to adapt according to the situation is important and SDN provides that agility and flexibility enabling networks to respond quickly to changing demands.
- Reduce hardware dependence:– The shift to software defined networking ensures less requirement of physical devices significantly reducing operational costs.
- Enhanced network security:- Due to the centralized software-defined networking, it enables more efficient technical operations. The SDN controller can monitor traffic and deploy security policies.
- Cost effective:- SDN is highly cost effective as it reduces the dependence on expensive hardware components which lead to lower operational expenses and long term scalability.
- End-to-end visibility across the network:– It makes it a lot easier for the IT team to monitor the network efficiency and adjust the network capacity as per the business requirement.
- Virtualize network function:– Since SDN came into the networking game it reduced the requirement for physical hardware components for building network infrastructure. As of now the network under SDN is software based hence network adjustments and end-to-end visibility into the network as well as the capacity requirement can be delivered virtually.
Conclusion
Today, SDN technology helps network administrators to respond quickly and change the data traffic pattern as per the business requirement. This was not possible using traditional hardware mechanisms for implementing network infrastructure. SDN empowers organizations to stay ahead of their competitors and this evolving digital world.
Manual efforts for administering the network topology are time-consuming and a way more technical and costly process. So we can see the shift to Software Defined Networking from the traditional networking approach. A new concept of SD-WAN is going to lead the market as it is the combination of Software-defined networking and a wide area network. it will automatically evaluate the most effective way to route traffic to and from the branch offices to the data center sites. All these technological innovations under SDN are making a broad way for enterprises to shift their network infrastructure from traditional hardware usable approach to software-defined networks.
