The pandemic likely did more to drive businesses into the arms of the Internet and technology than almost anything else in recent history. Why? Businesses needed that tech and Internet presence for their basic survival.
Of course, that also meant that businesses needed to beef up their own IT infrastructure. Otherwise, they couldn’t handle the extra load from remote work and internet traffic. This is where the traditional network that depends on physical switches, hubs, and routers shows its age.
To combat the weaknesses in physical networks, many businesses turned their eyes toward software defined networking. Of course, you might wonder if the software defined network approach really provides benefits. Keep reading for some of the key advantages.
What is Software Defined Networking?
You probably won’t find too many people who can reach a definition that they agree on 100%. Every business handles software defined networking their own way. This is compounded by the fact that networking technology companies offer their own takes on the approach.
In general, though, this approach virtualizes much of the old physical hardware. So, instead of a physical switch connecting two real computers, you have a digital switch built from code. That switch may connect two virtual machines, two physical machines, or a virtual and physical machine.
Centralized Control
Among software defined networking benefits, centralized control is of the most interest to larger organizations. This approach lets you get a view of the entire network, rather than a misbehaving part of one. That, in turn, lets you better allocate network resources.
Reduced Hardware Costs
Every network still needs some physical hardware, but you’ll see a dramatically reduced need for switches and hubs. In addition, you’ll get more life out of your existing hardware, since your SDN setup does the heavy lifting instead of local firmware.
Better Security
An SDN solution can also provide you with more effective security. The centralized nature of SDN can also centralize security monitoring, access control, and information distribution.
Less Downtime
Any time you must upgrade physical hardware, it can cause downtime. There is the physical installation of the device itself. Then, someone must configure the device to operate on your network.
All of that happens while your network or parts of it are down. With SDN, you perform upgrades digitally for most things. That means much less downtime on the network because no one is messing around with hardware.
Software Defined Networking and Your Business
Software defined networking offers a lot of advantages, but it’s not right for every business. If your business has a large, complex network with a lot of hard, an SDN solution can save you time, money, and headaches in the long run.
For a small business that runs a comparatively small network with a limited amount of hardware, the conversion over to software defined networks likely won’t offer the same kind of advantages.
Looking for more business tech insights or tips? Check out some of our other articles in the Tech section and Business section.