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SMARTnet Featured Article

SMARTnet Approach Subject to Change as SDN Attention Grows

January 04, 2013

By Susan J. Campbell, TMCnet Contributing Editor

As we’re ready to embark on the new year, a number of key trends are getting a lot of attention, including the increased focus on software defined networking (SDN). For the industry as a whole, SDN is leading the way for change regarding how data centers are run.

At the same time, OEMs are vying for a piece of the $2 billion pie projected in the market by 2016. As IT professionals continue to lean on SMARTnet for performance optimization, there are more than a few eagerly anticipating what the market will look like in just a few short years.

A recent XSnet blog examined the firestorm that is coming with SDN and the companies that are already fronting the funds to earn their spot on the frontend of the market. Take for instance the $1.26 billion VMware spend on Nicira, a pioneer in the field.

The purchase jumpstarted the SDN buzz, spurring on Oracle (News

- Alert) and its purchase of Xsigo in its own SDN move. Vyatta was then purchased by Brocade and SMARTnet company Cisco laid out $141 million for Cariden. Of course this is mere pocket change compared to VMware’s investment, but it gives Cisco (News

- Alert) an in to the SDN market.

The interesting thing surrounding SDN is that the concept has been around for quite some time. The real attention didn’t start to buzz until VMware took over Nicira, however. If the company was willing to put that much on the line for SDN, there must be more to it than competitors realized.

The acquisition does position VMware as the leader in this space, but Contail is not far behind. The company is backed by key players in the market and is led by those with SMARTnet (Cisco), Google (News

- Alert) and Juniper backgrounds.

According to Vinod Khosla, the mastermind behind the Contrail investment, the company has big plans for SDN. With little innovation in software defined data centers and large systems, there is significant room for advancements.

Contrail plans to tackle a standards-based and federated virtualized network control application enabled by OpenStack. The company is aiming for a network that is programmable and virtualized.

Those leading the charge for SDN expect the field to get quite crowded as everyone seeks out their piece of the pie. Likewise, service providers are seeking effective ways to reduce expenditures while also increasing responsiveness. SDN is expected to streamline service creation while also fostering innovative applications and services.

As SDN promises to make networks faster to configure, cheaper to build and more efficient to operate, the demand is sure to escalate rapidly, creating significant opportunity in the market.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO Miami 2013, Jan 29- Feb. 1 in Miami, Florida. Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.

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SMARTnet Approach Subject to Change as SDN Attention Grows

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