Raymond James networking equipment analyst Simon Leopold today throws a bit of cold water on the phenomenon known as “software-defined networking,” which some have hypothesized could be a threat to sales of traditional networking equipment by Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Juniper Networks (JNPR), among others.
Echoing sentiments from Credit Suisse’s Paul Silverstein last week regarding SDN, Leopold reflects on this week’s technology conference hosted by his firm, and opines that the technology is currently ill-defined and subject to a lot of hype:
We hosted a panel session at our Raymond James Technology & Supply Chain Conference to address SDN (Software Defined Networking) with guests representing several key thought leaders including a carrier perspective from Verizon [Communications (VZ)], Big Switch on control planes, Arista with a network perspective, and Embrane from an SDN application view. All agreed that Software Defined Networking is not as defined as many would think. A hype-cycle is underway, and many public and private companies may be generously slapping an SDN label on too many technologies lately.Key aspects that motivate network operators to consider SDN include increased flexibility, reduced costs, and service velocity. Although much of the economic modeling has yet to be disclosed, the capital and operational savings potential sound disruptive. Big Switch, for example, suggested that a data center operator might eliminate three out of 10 racks of servers through the increased efficiency, which could save several millions of dollars [...] Currently, we face a classic hype-cycle. The threat posed by SDN disrupting incumbent suppliers may be real, but will not materially impact networks over the next year. Perhaps some forward looking operators may press suppliers for their SDN vision, yet most are unlikely to deploy it soon.
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