Key benefits and challenges of software-defined networking

Key benefits and challenges of software-defined networking is profiled by BTW Media because published evidence links it to internet infrastructure, governance, operational dependencies, or market visibility.

• SDN allows data to move easily between distributed locations, which is critical for cloud applications.
• SDN enables fast movement of workloads across the network.
• With the speed and flexibility offered by SDN, it is able to support emerging trends and technologies, such as edge computing and the Internet of Things, which require the quick and easy transfer of data between remote sites.

Benefits of SDN

Reduced policy rule: With SDN, administrators can change the rules of any network switch if necessary – prioritising, de-prioritising or even blocking specific types of packets with fine-grained control and security levels. This feature is particularly useful in cloud multi-tenant architectures because it enables administrators to manage traffic loads in a flexible and efficient manner, which essentially enables administrators to use cheaper commodity switches and better control network traffic.

Network management and visibility: Other benefits of SDN are network management and end-to-end visibility, with network administrators dealing with only one centralised controller to distribute policies to connected switches, as opposed to configuring multiple separate devices. This feature is also a security advantage because the controller can monitor traffic and deploy security policies, for example, it can reroute or discard packets if the controller deems traffic suspicious.

Reduce hardware footprint and operating costs: SDN also virtualises hardware and services previously performed by dedicated hardware, which minimises hardware footprint and thus reduces operational costs.

Network innovation: SDN also led to the emergence of software-Defined Wide Area Network technology, which takes the virtual overlay aspect of SDN technology and abstracts an organisation’s connectivity links in its WAN, creating a virtual network that can use whatever connection the controller sees fit to send traffic.

Improved security posture: SDN provides enhanced security features through centralised control, allowing for quicker detection and response to threats as well as more effective implementation of security policies across the network.

Also read: 7 key benefits of Software-Defined Networking

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Challenges faced by SDN

Major adopters of SDN include service providers, network operators, telcos, operators and large companies such as Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent, Facebook, Google, etc. However, there are still some challenges behind SDN.

Secure: Security is both a benefit and a problem of SDN technology, with centralised SDN controllers having a single point of failure that can cause damage to the network if locked down by an attacker.

Poorly defined: Another challenge with SDN is that the industry really doesn’t have an established definition of software-defined networking, and different vendors offer a variety of SDN approaches, from hardware-centric models and virtualisation platforms to hyper-converged network designs and controlless approaches.

Market chaos: Some network initiatives are often mistaken for SDN, including white box networking, network decomposition, network automation, and programmable networking, and while SDN can benefit from and work with these technologies and processes, it is still a stand-alone technology.

Adoption is slow and costly: SDN technology received a lot of hype when it was introduced around 2011 along with the OpenFlow protocol. Since then, adoption has been relatively slow, especially among businesses with smaller networks and fewer resources. Many enterprises cite the cost of SDN deployment as a disincentive.