January 2018 Sponsored by
Introduction 302 network professionals and IT strategists completed a global survey on Software Defined Networks (SDNs) to gather hard data on SDN adoption and operational challenges. The research focused on current and future SDN deployments, current management and operational tool capabilities and gaps, and also examined whether SDN adoption was resulting in changes in network team roles and organizational structure necessary to make SDN deployments a success. Executive Summary SDNs have been discussed for years with many of the largest networking vendors offering solutions for almost a decade. This research finds that a large majority of companies interested in SDN have already started deployment, but that expected business benefits require additional, complementary tools to achieve them. Additionally, survey respondents indicated SDN controllers lack full SDN management capabilities. This weakness is compounded by a lack of heterogeneous management for other vendors SDN fabric. The preferred approach of network professionals is a unified network management solution which consolidates both SDN and traditional networks; as well as security, traffic, diagnostics and other functionality. It also needs to monitor the entire network and manage configuration changes, as well as automate appropriate actions to maintain performance and compliance. This research also finds SDN adoption is driving an organizational evolution. More than 8 out of 10 companies indicated that network operations and engineering must be unified into a single team to deliver the business value expected from SDN adoption. Key findings SDN Momentum and Learnings 57% have deployed or are actively deploying SDNs Need for additional tools increases through SDN deployment experience Network Management Unification 79% confirmed network management solutions must manage both SDNs and traditional networks 88% will implement SDNs from multiple vendors 70% state SDN controllers currently need other networking tools to manage SDNs Organizational and Operational Benefits 8 predict networking engineering and operations will be become a single team as a result of implementing SDN Expected benefits: efficiency/faster deployments, reduced costs and increased security. Sponsored by Page 2
Detailed Findings SDNs Are Becoming Common This research finds that software defined networks (SDNs) have moved from concept and lab experimentation to actual deployment as more than half (57%) of those surveyed already have or are deploying SDNs in their networks today. Another quarter of network professionals indicated that they are testing and gaining experience in their labs, often preceding deployment. This data clearly shows that SDN is a viable option today, delivering advantages to those who operate the network and provide value to the business. 57% Have Deployed or Are Actively Deploying SDNs We are still researching SDN technology 17% We already have fully deployed our SDN 19% We are still validating the SDN technology in our lab 26% We are in the process of deploying our SDN 38% Numerous Vendors SDN Controllers Expected Most network professionals (88%) stated they will be using SDN controllers from multiple vendors. This research confirmed that well over a dozen different vendor s SDN solutions are in use today. Cisco, VMware, and Microsoft were found to be the top vendors in this survey. This information provides key insights into how SDNs are being deployed in real world companies and indicates that nearly all network environments will be heterogeneous. This generates risks and costs associated with tools licensing and training, as well as potentially creating SDN vendor-specific silos of expertise. While this study did not ask why different vendors will be needed, it s evident that network professionals are evaluating and purchasing SDN from multiple vendors based on vendor preference, functionality and costs. 60% 50% 40% 88% Indicated They Will Need Multiple Vendors' SDN Controllers 5 36% 30% 20% 10% 0% 11% 1 2-5 More than 6 Our solution does not require an SDN controller 1% Page 3
A Majority of Respondents Will Use Multiple SDN Vendors Cisco 74% VMware 5 Microsoft SDN 24% Juniper 18% HPE 11% Alcatel Lucent 10% Brocade 9% Broadcom 8% Huawei 7% Big Switch Networks 6% Cumulus Networks 4% Versa Networks 3% Ciena 3% Viptela 3% Nuage ConteXtream Plexxi 1% We have not done any vendor research yet 1% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Vendor Provided SDN Controllers Alone Not Adequate Perhaps even more impactful to network management, network professionals with SDN operational experience have revealed that the SDN controllers alone are not enough to effectively manage SDNs. In fact, 7 of those surveyed indicated that additional networking tools are required to properly manage their SDNs. This means the companies that are deploying SDNs need to evaluate their current and future networking tools within the context of SDN and identify which gaps exist. 7 State SDN Controllers Currently Need Other Networking Tools to Manage SDNs No, an SDN controller will be able to manage the entire SDN 28% Yes, an SDN controller will always require other network operational tools 7 Page 4
Visibility and Operational Control Needed to Supplement SDN Controllers Expanding on the previous findings, this research further drilled down to the exact types of capabilities needed in addition to the current SDN controller features. Nearly tied at the top is the clear need for visibility into security of the network and the traffic across the network at 66% and 65% respectively. As security vulnerabilities often negatively impact performance, there may be a correlation between these two. Closely following is network diagnostics and network performance monitoring (both at 60%) and then network availability (49%). The need for these network tool top capabilities demonstrates network professionals need visibility into the operation of SDNs and the ability to quickly resolve issues. Network Professionals Confirm Numerous Tools Are Needed in Addition to SDN Controllers Network security monitoring Network traffic monitoring Network diagnostics Network performance monitoring Network availability monitoring Network automation Network discovery and topology Network compliance management Application performance monitoring Change and configuration management/cmdb 49% 47% 41% 37% 36% 35% 66% 65% 60% 60% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% Network Professionals Want a Unified Management Approach Building on the preceding, companies will be utilizing multiple SDN controllers and supporting tools. It is not surprising that participants felt strongly (79%) that network management solutions need to manage both SDNs and traditional network equipment and infrastructure. This unified approach is a way to manage a growing and complex heterogeneous environment with physical and virtual network elements. This approach will likely result in fewer toolsreducing costs, switching between tools, training and inefficient management. Thus, there is tremendous value in tools and solutions that can work across different vendors technologies to manage increasingly complex networks. 79% Prefer Network Management Solutions That Manage Both SDNs and Traditional Networks A standalone management solution for SDN 21% A combined solution that can manage both the SDN and traditional network 79% Page 5
Automation Desired in Comprehensive Management Tool An overwhelming number (9) of the network professionals stated SDN management must contain both monitoring and automation. This finding reinforces the need for clear visibility into heterogeneous network operations and performance. Given the dynamic abilities of SDN, automation unlocks the ability to rapidly change network configurations and operations to meet real-time performance and reliability objectives. This research indicates that most companies are augmenting existing networks with SDN and thus network monitoring and automation needs to coordinate across multiple technologies to be effective. Automation also provides the opportunity for autoremediation, creating the opportunity to resolve issues before users are affected and the business is impacted. 9 Stated SDN Management Must Have Automation and Monitoring in Same Solution No 8% Yes 9 SDNs Bringing Network Operations and Engineering Together. Traditionally, technology studies don t reflect on organizational structure. However, a key finding of the research is that SDN as a technology is directly impacting the organizational structure of the IT teams who manage the network. The common model of two teams that currently design, deploy, configure, fix; and operate the network will evolve to become a single team, say 8 of survey participants. Considering the speed, elasticity and automated options SDN provides, it seems logical to evolve from siloed organizations to that of a comprehensive team approach, in much the same way DevOps was conceived and adopted. 8 Predict Network Engineering and Operations Will Become a Single Team No 18% Yes 8 Page 6
Unified Network Team Drivers - Operational and Cost Benefits The research then asked participants what benefits they expected from a combined network operations and engineering team. The top benefit expected was improved operational efficiency (68%), followed by quicker problem resolution (55%). More than half the participants also expected to save costs and increase network deployment speed. These benefits indicated a combined team will allow network professionals to better realize all the capabilities SDNs offer, which provides direct benefits to the business in the form of better performance, increased agility, security, and lower costs. Professionals Expect Numerous Benefits From a Single Network Operations and Engineering Team Operational efficiency 68% Quicker problem resolution Save costs Faster network deployments 5 5 55% Improved network security More reliable networks More flexible network Improved network performance 44% 44% 43% 43% There are no benefits from consolidating those two functions into a single team 1% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Conclusion This research concludes that SDN is no longer a future technology, but it is here and nearly all companies are already using or evaluating the technology today. However, the network continues to be multi-vendor, and vendor centric SDN controllers will be insufficient to manage the SDN. Network professionals don t want additional sets of tools for the SDN, they want a unified management approach that can control both the SDN and traditional network infrastructure. This puts a premium on network management tools that can work in heterogeneous environments offering control for both multiple vendors SDN technologies and traditional networks as well. Network professionals want more network visibility and the power to automate network deployments, configuration and remediation. The right tools will enable the speed, flexibility, improved performance, and reliability which are often the drivers for SDN adoption. But as companies begin to look for the comprehensive network management solution, perhaps those defining the requirements and performing the evaluations need to consider that those who will ultimately use it will be a consolidated team that combines network operation and network engineering with new, more efficient processes. As SDNs bring a lot of change, offering improved efficiencies, increased performance and lower costs, it is no wonder that so many companies are already deploying SDNs today. Page 7
Survey Methodology A total of 302 network professionals with roles from frontline administrators to architect and executives and with roles that included operations, engineering and strategy completed the worldwide survey. All participants were from enterprise companies with more than 5,000 employees. Participants represented each of the five continents and the survey was administered electronically. Participants were offered a token compensation for their participation. More than 10,000 57% Financial Services Manufacturing Telecommunications Retail Transportation Pharmaceutical Media and Advertising Other 5% 5% 4% 3% 1% 1% 11% 9% 8% 19% 25% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Frontline or Admin 10% Architect/Technolo gy strategist 35% Engineering 3 Strategy/Architect 29% Company Size Industry Organizational Role Networking Role Executive 2 5,000 10,000 43% Team Manager 33% Administrator 17% Operations 2 Micro Focus Network Operations Management addresses the needs facing network professionals in deploying and managing SDNs. Network management solutions must manage both SDNs and traditional networks Network Operations Management from Micro Focus provides a unified, connected view of SDN, virtualized, and traditional physical elements of an enterprise network. This includes support for supervising health, performance, and configuration compliance for multiple SDN controllers and their fabric. SDN controllers currently need other networking tools to manage SDNs Micro Focus Network Operations Management provides the broadest set of complementary tools for SDNs, virtual, and physical networks with industry-leading capabilities including: Network traffic, diagnostics and performance monitoring Network configuration management and automation Executive and operational reporting including risk management dashboards Deployment options that include container-based delivery Networking engineering and operations will be become a single team as a result of implementing SDN Micro Focus Network Operations Management delivers a consolidated management toolset designed for both engineering and operations to provide the single source of truth critical to managing all aspects of large, complex networks. For more information, visit - https://www.microfocus.com/networkmgt Page 8
About Dimensional Research Dimensional Research provides practical marketing research to help technology companies make their customers more successful. Our researchers are experts in the people, processes, and technology of corporate IT and understand how IT organizations operate. We partner with our clients to deliver actionable information that reduces risks, increases customer satisfaction, and grows the business. For more information, visit. About Micro Focus Micro Focus and HPE Software have joined to become one of the largest pure-play software companies in the world. Bringing together two leaders in the software industry, Micro Focus is uniquely positioned to help customers maximize existing software investments and embrace innovation in a world of hybrid IT from mainframe to mobile to cloud. For more information, visit - https://www.microfocus.com/ Page 9