ABSTRACT
Today, virtualization is transforming the way traditional network functions are consumed within an enterprise. Router, firewall, and other network appliance companies are adopting software business models that allow them to leverage compute utilities for functions that once required a specialized hardware platform. Current network deployments within enterprise domains are static and nonprogrammable in nature. Many networks are provisioned by direct command line interface (CLI) access or via simple script-based tools. This prevents network engineers from meeting basic business requests to deliver dynamic network services, like bandwidth-on-demand, rate limiting, dynamic quality of service, security policy changes, etc. An SDN architecture allows for a fully programmable physical and virtual network where organizations can deploy high-value network services with speed and flexibility.
