
In this new digital age, companies face new challenges: the explosive growth of multimedia, the increase in mobile usage, and the demand for quality content are just a few examples. In response, a network architecture that could deal with all these dynamics became necessary, and SDN networks are being adopted by many organizations.
SDN is an architecture that allows centralized and intelligent management of the network, bringing a series of benefits and advantages. In the following article, you will understand in detail what this technology is, how it works and discover how it can make a difference in your business. Follow up!
What are Software Defined Networking (SDN) networks?
SDN networks (Software Defined Networking) are an architectural approach that brings more control and intelligence to network administration through software applications and open APIs.
In it, an administrator can model traffic from a centralized controller, without having to access each switch individually. More easily, it guides switches through their controller to deliver network services when and where they are needed, giving the administrator easy, centralized management of the entire architecture.
An SDN also has 4 fundamental features, which help to define it. Are they:
- Centralized control:
Centralized control and visualization of the network is a key feature of an SDN. Through it, it is possible to unify the configuration of all devices and modify them uniformly, and not individually as is currently the case.
- Data plane and control plane separation:
Unlike the current architecture, in SDN networks the control plane and data plane are separate. Thus, the control plane is able to have a broader view of all nodes in the network and manages to control them all in the same way. Which guarantees more agility and performance.
- Interfaces between the control and data layers:
In an SDN, the control layer and the data layer are separated by API (Application Programming Interface) interfaces.
- Network programmability:
APIs are also present between the control layer and the application layer, a third level of networking that we will get to know more about in a moment. There, they help the administrator in programming the network and distributing traffic across the architecture.
The architecture of SDN networks
The architecture of SDN networks is composed of three layers: the application layer, the control layer and the infrastructure layer.
In the application layer, applications and functions typically used by companies are present. For example: Firewalls, load balancing software and intrusion detection systems.
However, where a traditional network would use specialized software, SDNs use applications to manage data plane behavior.
In the control layer, the network controller software is present, the “brain” of an SDN. Through it, all policies and the entire traffic flow of the network as a whole are managed.
Finally, there is the infrastructure layer, which represents all the physical devices on the network, such as redistribution points, routers, switches, and communication endpoints.
Through these three layers, all network traffic is managed and can be programmed by administrators. And the APIs, which communicate between the layers, bring a series of possibilities to the architecture management.
How can SDN networks make a difference in your business?
Now that you know the details of SDN networks, let’s move on to what matters in practice: how they can make a difference in your company. First, know that the benefits that SDNs can offer your business are many and bring more dynamism and efficiency to the entire network architecture.
Below, you know 3 of the main advantages that an SDN provides and how they impact your business. Keep following and check it out!
Network programmability
SDN networks allow the behavior of the architecture as a whole to be centrally controlled. Thus, administrators can program the entire network and its traffic flow, prioritizing, de-prioritizing, or even blocking certain packets with complete security and a high level of control.
With this, companies can regulate their networks to support new services and serve customers individually and specifically; in addition to being able to create new and innovative solutions quickly and cheaper. Because there is no dependence on closed platforms and proprietary software.
Centralized and intelligent control
In traditional network architectures, control is done in a fully decentralized and distributed way. This increases the complexity of administration and decreases the level of intelligence in traffic management.
In SDN networks, on the other hand, the administrator can manage the entire architecture through a single centralized point. Thus, it is possible to distribute policies to all connected devices uniformly, instead of individually configuring them one by one.
With this, the company gains more control and productivity, in addition to more security, as it becomes possible to distribute security policies quickly and simply. If the administrator notices suspicious traffic, for example, he can redirect or drop the packets.
Network abstraction
Through SDN networks, it is possible to virtualize hardware and services previously run by proprietary hardware. We are talking about the so-called network abstraction, which brings a series of benefits and advantages to companies.
One of them is the reduction of dependence on closed hardware and software. Which also brings more freedom and flexibility for the business to manage its network as it sees fit.
In addition, operational costs also drop, as less staff will be needed to manage the architecture and less time will be spent on this task.