Gartner Seeks to Define Software-Defined Networking

Gartner defines software defined networks (SDN), Pica8 and NTT partner for SDN solutions, and IBM enhances its SDN approach for virtual environments.

Gartner defines a SDN taxonomy.  In a new complimentary Gartner report the research and advisory company dives into software defined networking and creates a taxonomy of the topic in order to end the confusion about it. Gartner's definition of SDN is that it is "a new approach to designing, building and operating networks that supports business agility. SDN brings a similar degree of agility to networks that abstraction, virtualization and orchestration have brought to server infrastructure." The report covers SDN deployment models based on the associated environment, and where SDN can be leveraged, as a component of the policy driven data center. The report, "Ending the Confusion About Software-Defined Networking: A Taxonomy," can be found here.

Pica8 partners with NTT for SDN solutions.  Networking company Pica8 announced that it has partnered with NCLC and NTT Data to offer system integration services for end-to-end SDN solutions. Late last year the company published an open SDN reference architecture, designed as a network development platform for cloud providers. The NTT partnership combines Pica8’s implementation of Open vSwitch (OVS) in its switching operating system with NTT Data’s SDN Framework to create end-to-end solutions.  Together the two companies will provide planning, design, and development of SDN applications along with system integration services. “By developing an application that provides SDN network traffic control and other services, we enable customers to implement SDN quickly and reliably,” said Steve Garrison, vice president of product marketing at Pica8. “Customers can use white box networking products to build out a highly dynamic and programmable network with our solutions.”

IBM enhances SDN approach. IBM announced the launch of the  IBM Software Defined Network for Virtual Environments (SDN VE) as new software to make it easier for organizations to set up, manage and scale virtual networks for faster delivery of cloud, analytics, mobile and social business services. Setup as a virtual overlay network solution SDN VE automates and speeds the process of setting up SDN networks. Additionally, it enables network administrators to speed up traditionally time-consuming tasks such as network provisioning from days to hours. “Our vision of the Software Defined Environment is one of an intelligent data-driven ecosystem that is easily managed and scaled to meet ever-changing market demands,” said Dr. Inder Gopal, IBM vice president of System Networking Development. “The SDN VE is a solid, necessary step toward that future.” In addition to management and provisioning, the IBM SDN VE, which is based on IBM’s DOVE (Distributed Overlay Virtual Ethernet) architecture, automates network virtualization.