Networking

5 Questions to Ask About Software-Defined Networking

SDN provides flexibility, resiliency and support for surges in use by teleworking feds.

Joel Snyder, Ph.D., is a senior IT consultant with 30 years of practice. An internationally recognized expert in the areas of security, messaging and networks, Dr. Snyder is a popular speaker and author and is known for his unbiased and comprehensive tests of security and networking products. His clients include major organizations on six continents.

Software-defined networking provides flexibility and resiliency as well as support for surges in usage by teleworking federal employees. Here are five questions to ask about the technology:

1. What Is Software-Defined Networking?

SDN differs from traditional routing protocols designed to find the fastest, most efficient path through the network. Instead, SDN takes factors that are hard to define in normal network rout- ing protocols and simplifies them.

2. Can I Use SDN in My WAN?

SD-WAN can build more reliable, faster and cost-effective networks atop different WAN technologies. SD-WAN isn’t the type of SDN found in a data center, but it works with the same idea: increasing the intelligence of the control plane.

3. Are SDN and Network Function Virtualization the Same Thing?

No. SDN is all about redesigning data center networks. Network function virtualization is about moving middleware, such as firewalls and load balancers, into a virtualized environment without using specialized hardware. Virtualizing these functions can be simpler in an SDN data center, but they are independent concepts.

4. How Secure Is SDN?

SDN includes a real-time response capability and improves security functions, such as network visibility, machine learning and artificial intelligence, to detect attacks and recognize zero-trust architecture.

5. Where Does SDN Fit In?

The most advanced SDN products are designed for data centers and contain complex applications. When an application has three tiers and dozens of moving parts to securely connect, SDN can create optimized paths and security separations that are often hard to build manually.

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