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SDN Can Sell Itself to Corporate Decision-Makers with Proper Planning and Analysis

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SDN Can Sell Itself to Corporate Decision-Makers with Proper Planning and Analysis

 
April 22, 2016

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  By Laura Stotler, TMCnet Contributing Editor

Software-defined networking (SDN) is steadily permeating all aspects of the technology sector, providing benefits and efficiencies to service providers, data centers and enterprises alike. But as with all new and relatively unknown trends, SDN can be a tough sell to those unfamiliar with the concept, particularly when they are the decision-makers and are in charge of budget.


A recent TechTarget article by Will Murrell of UNICOM (News - Alert) Systems examines practical ways to educate and proselytize the concept of SDN to the powers that be. The first way to tackle this somewhat daunting prospect is to focus on SDN’s many benefits, particularly cost savings. Solutions that translate to long-term cost savings are an attractive proposition and attention grabber when it comes to decision-makers.

Of course, one of the key benefits of SDN is that it enables easy scalability and flexibility in allocating network resources, making it an elastic and malleable technology solution. It also offers inherent freedom of choice when it comes to software vendors, letting companies select the components with the price points and features best suited to their core business objectives.

Ease of use is another compelling benefit of SDN, and giving managers the tools to implement company-wide policies and mandates easily on a wide scale is a massive selling point.

Some companies may be of the mindset that if something isn’t broken, there’s no reason to fix it. And they may not see a compelling reason to replace legacy equipment that is doing its job and has a lifecycle of up to 10 years until it has outlived its usefulness. But when all network components are taken into consideration, cost analyses have been performed, and business needs and objectives are evaluated, SDN becomes compelling. While legacy equipment may in fact be doing its job, it could also be costing companies much more to operate, manage and maintain than an SDN solution.

One of the guiding principles behind SDN is taking a broader look at how networks operate at all layers, and how they may be architected and configured to work more efficiently. A similar broad approach may be used when it comes to educating decision makers about the benefits of SDN, examining all aspects of the network and how it relates to core business operations and goals. The silos between IT departments and corporate management are steadily breaking down, and SDN is another step toward integrating IT into the broader fabric of company operations and objectives.




Edited by Rory J. Thompson
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