Software-defined approach – Defining the Future

Software-defined approach – Defining the Future
The software-defined approach is described as a decoupling of software from specific hardware platforms which gives more programmability to the IT infrastructure. As business process frequently changes in response to the market turbulences, the organization goes through process transformations. With the use of Software-defined Everything (SDE) technology, organizations need to change only the software components during business process transformations. Virtualization is considered to be one of the driving forces of SDE technology. For example, server virtualization divides one physical server into multiple virtual servers using software applications and each of the virtual servers can run on its operating system (OS) and can use different software applications. Therefore, only the software component needs to be changed for system modification. In general, Software-defined Everything (SDE) technology offers a convenient way to manage the networks, storage, security aspects, data centers, real-time servers, etc. which in turn gives an advantage over cost, security, and management flexibility. Three major kinds of SDE includes,
  • Software-defined Networking (SDN)
  • Software-defined Data Center (SDDC)
  • Software-defined Storage (SDS)
  • How SDX benefits the organization and defines its future
Predominantly SDX’s goal is to break down the IT silos such as compute, storage and networking components and bridge the technical & structural gaps using the software. Thus, providing software systems a featuring role in managing various kinds of hardware, infrastructure productivity will drastically increase through robust network access from traditional as well as portable devices.
IT team was able to make significant cost savings and deliver projects at speed. Key benefits cited are reduced hardware costs to a greater extent, superior automation, rapid deployment of IT resources, and new implementation in shorter timelines.

Software-defined Networking (SDN)

In SDN, the hardware-level functionalities are transferred to software applications. SDN approach decouples the control plane from the data plane and moves the functionalities of the control plane to software. SDN gives a centralized control console for network admins from there they can choose the shape of data traffics and configure devices based on needs. It offers seamless network connectivity of plug-and-play devices as traditional manual network configuration is error-prone and time-consuming. SDN gives many benefits over traditional networking which includes centralized operation control; permits direct programmability; automates the network processes and reduces operating expenses by cutting the hardware changes.

Software-defined Storage (SDS)

The biggest driver of SDX adoption is its increased agility in response to business demands. With SDS, organizations restructure IT infrastructure by dividing hardware from software and using software instead of networking devices and storage disks. SDS manages storage requests by virtualizing the physical storage using standard servers which gives more control over stored data. SDS’s key benefits over the traditional storage model include automatic storage management capabilities; flexibility to increase storage requirements as per demands; lower costs; more scalability with provision to add extra storage arrays or additional CPUs based on business needs.

Software-defined Data Center (SDDC)

In the traditional data center model, organizations struggle with the high costs of managing and maintain network switches, servers, storage devices, and other hardware. Keeping all these resources updated is expensive and involves a complex process. With SDDC, organizations can lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) by reducing the cost involved for hardware such as servers, routers, racks, taps, disks, etc. and minimize the size of data center, power usage, cooling & ongoing maintenance. Whereas the IT team can benefit from a simplified process which in turn increases appropriating and network provisioning speed. Consequently, software-automated provisioning enables application deployment within minutes. SDDC include virtualization, SDN, SDS, and automation software to provision, control, and manage all SDDCs components by IT administrator.
Apart from the aforementioned benefits, as businesses continue with remote work this year, SD-WAN adoption is rapidly growing to support this new working model.
As demand for Work-From-Home tools (improved video quality, better bandwidth, centrally operated networks for distributed sites) increases, organizations are exploring an effective solution to nurture this new way of working. And SD-WAN plays a vital role in it by decoupling WAN transport services from its applications and centralizing the network control function. SD-WAN makes it easier to build and manage long-distance networks and get remote-working businesses to afford new levels of flexibility and smooth interaction. It plays a key role in enabling an agile, secure, and efficient business, from any place.
Thus, organizations across the world are moving from owing their hardware & rigid architectures to keep with the new business requirements. Software-defined technologies have become the innovative approach behind the efficient and agile IT services, built to achieve the needs of today and the future.
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Viswanathan
Written by
Viswanathan N
Viswa is the head of Service and delivery and is responsible for Managing and growing the practice and delivery functions at SBA. With over 20+ years of experience as IT technical, service delivery & solution architect, Viswa’s primary focus is creating a good customer experience by increasing their perceived value in terms of products or services availed from SBA.
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