Software-defined networking allows organizations to direct more automation and autonomy to the network, which can simplify management.
Even with adoption concerns, organizations have a great need for network orchestration, and the concept of software-defined networking (SDN) is essential, especially for companies that use virtualization, cloud, containers or microservices.
The case for automation is more attractive in these use cases, because manual management via the command line interface (CLI) quickly becomes impractical.
This is especially true when vendors develop artificial intelligence and machine learning features in their software and allow networks to become even more automated with self-recovery and self-learning.
Software-defined networking technology centralizes data control
Often, an administrator must manually configure switches, routers, gateways and firewalls to establish, segment and secure suitable paths for network traffic.
If the network requires changes, such as creating a new segment or adding more bandwidth to a segment, the administrator must manually change the network configuration, often risking workload interruption and security breaches in the process.
Software-defined networking (SDN) seeks to overcome the decentralized and complex nature of networks, using software tools and intelligent network devices to optimize control over the network and make administrators exercise that control programmatically.
This software-defined technology separates the data flow from the data flow controls, a feat impossible with traditional switch or router architectures, allowing an administrator to organize, manage and monitor the network without having to touch the actual network devices.
What companies are looking for is to improve the agility of their technological network infrastructure
Network administrators need time to make network changes from days or weeks to hours or minutes and be much more responsive to digital business, and they want to improve availability and reliability.
Usually, when administrators try to make a change to their network, they end up with an outage due to the complexity and dominance of old command-line based practices. To avoid such disruptions, consider these four SDN installation factors.
1. Automation versus network technology
To select the best management or automation tools, an administrator's choice must be tailored to which computing environment will support the SDN installation.
This ensures that administrators can configure the network architecture and that the automation software has the right features and compatibility.
The tip is to choose your automation environment first, not the network provider. Then evaluate the network providers on how they fit into that automation environment.
2. Test resources during SDN installation
Testing is essential whenever administrators implement new technologies in the data center, usually with small proofs of concept and maturing pilots covering a defined area.
Given that SDN allows for higher levels of automation, organizations need to feel more secure with the technology before a large-scale implementation. In fact, major technology upgrades are usually done in stages to eliminate downtime.
So to be successful with SDN, you really need to go back and understand your entire network infrastructure, servers and all your data. This can easily require many hours of work. If possible, the organization can employ third-party services to audit data or use data center infrastructure management software with automation.
3. Hardware compatibility
The hardware that an organization needs for an SDN installation depends very much on the vendor with which the organization is working.
The key is that SDN still requires hardware, but that the emphasis is now much more on the software side. Organizations must understand what they are buying and its purpose in the data center to avoid wasting money on unnecessary hardware.
4. Programming proficiency of the teams
In the transition to SDN, the network team needs to think about adding new skills to its portfolio, i.e. programming capabilities.
Organizations should invest in training their employees in the installation and maintenance of SDN, especially in the programming aspects, to help increase operational efficiency.
Before working with SDN, IT managers should assess the skill levels of team members and find out what training gaps exist.
The ability to program helps drive automation through what is sometimes called infrastructure as code. The end result is that instead of using the CLI to complete tasks, network administrators can eventually program the network and automate more functions.
Increasing the role of software-defined technology in the data center has become strategic for companies
Virtualization and application-based network services have simplified networks and greatly improved the use of generic servers and basic switch devices, rather than specialized or vendor-specific hardware.
The work involved in architecting, programming and operating SDN is really only justified when a company needs rapid change and high scalability. Everyday business networks with only occasional changes can choose to forgo software-defined technology and use a more static infrastructure, knowing that they will be limited in relation to projects that foresee growth in network traffic.
To find out more about how software-defined networks can make a difference to the management of your company's IT infrastructure, contact the experts at Conversys now. In addition to being available to answer questions, we can help you in this process of strategically improving your technological architecture.
About Conversys
Conversys IT Solutions is a provider of Information and Communication Technology services and solutions operating throughout Brazil.
With a highly qualified technical and commercial team and a network of partners that includes the main global technology manufacturers, Conversys IT Solutions is able to deliver customized IT and Telecom Infrastructure solutions to clients.
We invest in our employees and partners and strive for a long-lasting relationship with our clients, because we believe that this is how we gain the skills and knowledge we need to innovate and generate value for the businesses in which we operate.
About Aruba
ARUBA, a Hewlett Parkard Enterprise company, is redefining the smart grid with mobility and IoT solutions for organizations of all sizes globally.
Offering IT solutions that empower organizations to serve the Mobile Generation - mobile-savvy users who rely on cloud-based applications for all aspects of their work and personal lives - and to harness the power of insights to transform business processes.
With infrastructure services offered as private or public cloud software, Aruba offers secure connectivity for mobility and IoT, allowing IT professionals to create networks that keep pace with change.
