If your organization has poor network connectivity and weak security, it will contribute to your network’s poor performance.
This impact on your network will lead to decreased employee productivity and network vulnerabilities that could cost your organization hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair or replace the network.
Organizations can’t operate effectively with poor network connectivity and weak security making reliable network solutions a priority for every organization.
Achieving this objective is imperative for every organization. However, with so many network solutions available, it can be difficult to determine which solution is the best choice for their organization.
Coeo understands how important reliable network connectivity and security are to an organization and has delivered thousands of solutions to organizations to improve their network performance and security and avoid cyberattacks.
By the end of this article, you will know what SDN is, the key components of the solution, and whether it is the best choice for your organization.
What is SDN?
Software-defined networking (SDN) is a network architecture that uses all layers of the network to make it more flexible and scalable.
The main objective of SDN is the improvement of network management to enhance network performance enabling your organization or provider to better manage the network by responding quickly to changing business needs.
SDN improves network control by enabling a network engineer or administrator to shape the traffic from a centralized control without having to adjust individual switches within the network infrastructure.
Instead, a centralized SDN controller directs the switches to deliver network connectivity wherever it is required.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about SDN or other network solutions such as SD-WAN or SD-LAN or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
The key components and features of SDN
There are many components and features of SDN that make it a solution that any organization can benefit from. The key features and components of SDN include:
Centralized control
The main feature of SDN is the ability to centrally control your organization’s network from a single portal. SDN is managed by a controller that acts as the brain of the network enabling you to control, manage, and monitor your entire network from one location.
This allows you to make decisions about where to send data much easier based on network policies resulting in more secure data and decreased latency.
Data plane
SDN also consists of a data plan, which is responsible for forwarding data packets to other users or networks.
This function is implemented into network devices such as switches but is ultimately directed by decisions made by the SDN controller.
Network automation
SDN is able to facilitate network automation to administer routine tasks and workflows. This eliminates the need for manual configuration, making more time available for strategic initiatives or time-sensitive projects.
Additionally, this can help prevent human error caused by manual management of your network ensuring that data will automatically be sent the same way every time.
Improved network visibility
Another main component of an SDN is greater visibility into your network. Some network monitoring solutions provide you with a limited ability to see into your network and if your network is monitored by your provider, you may not be able to see into your network at all.
However, with SDN’s centralized management feature, users are able to easily view their network. This allows you to view your network behavior, traffic patterns, and network performance.
Managing these analytics will enable you to optimize your network to improve network performance and security, wherever necessary.
Network segmentation
SDN also enables your organization to segment the network to secure data packets that have different security requirements. This allows you to provide policy-based network security for different data and application requirements.
Is SDN a good fit for your organization?
Now you understand what SDN is and the components and features of the solution. This will help you determine whether SDN is a good choice for your organization.
If your organization has a poor-performing network that results in decreased employee productivity, an SDN solution may be a good choice to improve your network connectivity and performance.
If your organization is looking for better control over your network and centralized management, SDN may be the right fit for your organization.
For organizations without internal IT expertise or with IT resources focused on other key initiatives, SDN may be a good fit for your organization to automate network tasks.
Additionally, if your objective is to automate network tasks to avoid human error that can cause network vulnerabilities to your network, SDN may be a good choice for your organization.
If your network requires segmentation to address the different security policies that guide data and applications in your network, an SDN solution may be a good choice for your organization as well.
However, if your organization is looking to connect multiple locations via a WAN, SDN may not be a good fit for your organization and you may want to consider an SD-WAN solution instead.
Determining whether SDN is the right solution for your organization
Now you know what SDN is, the key components of the solution, and whether it is the right solution for your organization. This will help you determine if you should invest in an SDN solution.
Organizations can’t operate effectively with a poor-performing network which leads to network connectivity issues and poor network security.
These issues can lead to decreased employee productivity and network vulnerabilities that can result in cyberattacks that cost your organization hundreds of thousands of dollars in network repairs.
For this reason, reliable network solutions should be a top priority for all organizations to improve network performance and security and avoid these consequences.
Coeo understands how important reliable network connectivity and security are to an organization and has delivered thousands of solutions to organizations to improve network connectivity and security.
We want you to understand what SDN is and its features and components so you can determine whether it is the right choice for your organization.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about SDN or other network solutions such as SD-WAN or SD-LAN or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
