The United States is the world’s fastest adopter of software-defined networking (SDN), according to a report from the Information Services Group (ISG).
The drivers are the proliferation of multi-cloud architectures, support for distributed work forces and the desire to enhance cybersecurity and business continuity. ISG said that U.S. enterprises are favoring fully or co-managed approaches over deploying the technology themselves. The goal is to minimize the need to hire and retain staff.
“The 2023 ISG Provider Lens Network — Software Defined Solutions and Services” report says that the acceleration of SDN in the U.S. is due to faster and more pervasive changes in IT.
The U.S. represents more than 30% of the worldwide SDN market. U.S. companies want to increase flexibility, agility, and competitiveness and enhance the user experiences. ISG says that this is particularly true in multi-cloud strategies.
“SDN is a proven means of assisting cloud migration,” Dieter Thompson, partner and president of ISG’s Network and Software Advisory business, said in a press release. (https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230621159010/en/U.S.-Leads-in-SDN-as-Multi-cloud-Migrations-Pick-up-Pace “Most U.S. enterprises recognize that successful IT evolution requires network modernization.”
A key benefit of SDN is moving the network control layer to the cloud. This enables real-time management via a single “pane of glass” through policy and automation. This improves network automation, orchestration, and integration and making it easier to add applications and network resources.
Another driver is the desire to improve cybersecurity through secure access service edge (SASE) techniques that combine SD-WAN and advanced security tools. This is a hot area and is expected to accelerate.
The post assesses the vendors in the sector. They are AT&T, Orange Business, Verizon, Wipro (leaders in all five quadrants of the report); Accenture, Apcela, Lumen and T-Mobile (three quadrants each), Cato Networks, Comcast Business, Kyndryl and Tech Mahindra (two quadrants) and Aruba, Extreme Networks, GTT, Microland and VMware (one quadrant). Microland was named a “Rising Star.”