SDN Trend Review: 2016 is the First Year of Software-Defined WAN

As 2016 enters its first day, Software Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) has set the tone for the SDN trend and has permeated the SDN world; Cisco and VMware have become the main forces in SDN deployment; but there are still concerns about training.

In 2015, the networking world was abuzz about software-defined wide area networks and their potential. That buzz continued throughout 2016, and perhaps even intensified, as more and more enterprises deployed SD-WAN technology and that potential became a reality.

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It’s no surprise, then, that SD-WAN has been a consistent, popular topic in SearchSDN news and commentary throughout the year. Other popular SDN trends include: open source SDN, Cisco ACI and VMware NSX, DevOps, and the training needed for a software-defined future. This article covers a few of the SDN trends we covered in 2016.

SD-WAN takes the virtual cake

SD-WAN made huge strides in 2016. While the technology was previously considered immature and untested, the potential benefits prompted many enterprises to begin implementing it this year. According to Gartner, by 2020, almost a third of enterprises will be running some form of SD-WAN technology.

At the same time, SD-WAN vendors and service providers have made their own market moves. There is no shortage of announcements from vendors in the SearchSDN column: service providers are working with vendors to provide managed SD-WAN services. CenturyLink, EarthLink, AT&T and other companies have launched SD-WAN services, while Viptela and CA Technologies have combined SD-WAN and network performance management services into a single solution.

The close relationship between SD-WAN and SDN has also promoted the development of SD-WAN in one aspect. Each separates the control plane from the data plane (that is, the brain from the brawn), and each improves network flexibility and scalability. In this sense, enterprises consider SD-WAN to be a trial run for implementing SDN, allowing them to slowly enter software-defined alternatives in an area that they are familiar with and easier to monitor and manage: the wide area network.

Jim Metzler, founder and vice president of Metzler & Associates, based in Sanibel, Fla., said it's important for enterprises to keep an eye on SD-WAN technology as WAN requirements change. He said that while SD-WAN may not be right for every WAN, enterprises should be aware of the options and developments available.

Cisco and VMware at the forefront of SDN

We also saw continued maturity of Cisco's Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and VMware's NSX in 2016. Cisco says more than 2,700 companies are using ACI today, while VMware has more than 1,900 companies using its software.

These SDN approaches are very different. Cisco ACI is rooted in Cisco's Nexus 9000 switches, while VMware NSX is entirely software-based. That said, many enterprises deploy a mix of Cisco ACI and VMware NSX, even as they work out compatibility issues between the two.

Both Cisco and VMware have taken steps to upgrade their respective products, with Cisco preparing to make ACI support cloud container orchestration and strengthening the capabilities of its Application Policy Infrastructure Controller. Meanwhile, VMware has struck a deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build a hybrid cloud based on NSX. The company also acquired analytics vendor Arkin Net Inc. in June to actively improve the micro-segmentation capabilities of its software.

Training in DevOps and SDN

The networking industry is evolving at a rapid pace, causing many engineers, students, and potential employees to question where they fit in. By its very nature, SDN blurs the lines between engineering and programming, forcing departments to work together and forcing network engineers to work in new or unfamiliar areas. As a result, we saw a growing interest in combining development and operations (DevOps) with SDN in 2016.

These changes in the networking industry are related to the number one concern: training and learning. To this end, SearchSDN experts discussed which programming languages ​​network engineers should master as they familiarize themselves with SDN. The consensus was that Python was well received due to its versatility. As for students interested in pursuing a career in the networking industry, experts urged them to learn more about SDN in school.

The road ahead for SDN

Open source SDN continues to be one of the most important SDN trends in 2016. Open source initiatives seek to advance SDN by developing standards, policies, and APIs to ensure collaboration and interoperability. Groups such as the Open Networking Foundation and the Open Networking User Group continue to work to advance SDN.

This year, AT&T announced an open source platform: Enhanced Control, Orchestration, Management and Policy, which encourages the development community to actively contribute code. Tom Nolle, president of CIMI and a contributor to SearchSDN, wrote in a blog that Verizon has also begun to develop an open SDN architecture that is more vendor-focused.

White box switches continued to attract attention throughout 2016. Proponents praised the commodity devices for their ability to reduce costs and avoid vendor lock-in while meeting speed and performance goals. However, questions remain. For most enterprises, the decision to deploy white box switches will depend on their specific requirements.

Most recently, many enterprises began evaluating SDN in their LANs in 2016. The potential is real, according to John Burke, a research analyst at Nemertes Research, based in Mokena, Ill.

"I'm not sure where [SAN in the LAN] is going to start -- whether it's going to start in retail, whether it's going to start in higher education, whether it's going to start in hospitality," Burke said. "But some verticals will start to move in that direction [SDN in the LAN]. There will be a few success stories, and then the industry will follow suit. It will never be the dominant player, but I think it will be a significant and lasting force."