MARKET OVERVIEW Product Class Software Defined Networking (SDN) Market Definition SDN is differentiated from Ethernet and IP networking due to centralized, programmatic control of the forwarding paths between nodes throughout the network. SDN includes software and optionally hardware, which abstracts the logically connected network from the physical network and relies on automation and orchestration to interconnect networks and devices. Although an SDN infrastructure may separate the management plane from the data plane, as with OpenFlow, or encapsulate networks within networks, as with VXLAN, neither is a requirement. Mere configuration management or automation is not sufficient to qualify as SDN; neither are fabric technologies like TRILL or SPB. In this assessment we focus primarily on enterprise data center SDN but acknowledge campus SDN as point of interest. Software Defined Networking: Competitive Landscape Assessment Fratto, Mike Research Director, Enterprise Networking and Data Center Technology September 21, 2017 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT - SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORKING PRODUCT CLASS SCORECARD
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MARKET OVERVIEW
Product Class Software Defined Networking (SDN)
Market Definition SDN is differentiated from Ethernet and IP networking due to centralized, programmatic controlof the forwarding paths between nodes throughout the network. SDN includes software andoptionally hardware, which abstracts the logically connected network from the physical networkand relies on automation and orchestration to interconnect networks and devices. Although anSDN infrastructure may separate the management plane from the data plane, as withOpenFlow, or encapsulate networks within networks, as with VXLAN, neither is a requirement.Mere configuration management or automation is not sufficient to qualify as SDN; neither arefabric technologies like TRILL or SPB. In this assessment we focus primarily on enterprise datacenter SDN but acknowledge campus SDN as point of interest.
Software Defined Networking: Competitive Landscape AssessmentFratto, MikeResearch Director, Enterprise Networking and Data Center Technology
September 21, 2017
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT - SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORKING
• Added Big Switch Networks and Huawei; Removed Brocade, Dell EMC Networking and HPE.• Big Switch added support for HCI, VDI, and multiple container systems.• Cisco updated ACI to 3.0 with multi-site support, Kubernetes support, first hop security andACI integration with cloud services such as AWS for provisioning and managing cloud networks.• Nuage Networks announced its VSP 5.0 release.• VMware NSX 6.3 has achieved Common Criterial EAL2+ certification and added NSX-T formulti-hypervisor support.
MARKET ASSESSMENT
SDN adoption in the enterprise is in a lull, with only a couple of vendors, Cisco and VMware, announcing asignificant number of production customers, which when compared to each company’s total customer base, isstill a small number. Big Switch is making in-roads with both its SDN and network packet broker offerings basedon OpenFlow by leveraging its relationship with Dell EMC. Juniper is still struggling with Contrail in theenterprise. HPE has all but exited the data center SDN market, keeping its VAN Controller on maintenance forexisting customers and focusing more on network automation with Arista and Nuage Networks.
In the enterprise, nearly all roads end with Cisco’s ACI or VMware’s NSX, because that is the route mostenterprises are taking to SDN for their virtual workloads. Cisco is claiming 4,000 active customers with a 45%attach rate for its ACI, which is good growth. However, unlike VMware, which can run over any networkequipment (including Cisco’s), ACI runs over Cisco’s ACI-enabled Nexus 9000 leaf-and-spine switches, and ACIcan configure VMware’s virtual distributed switch but not NSX. Unlike VMware, ACI can extend the SDN fabricfrom physical to virtual workloads using the same policy end to end. Cisco’s partner ecosystem is larger thanVMware’s, although there is some overlap with market leaders in adjacent technologies like application deliverycontrollers, security, and operations; however, Cisco has a broader variety of partners, notably in storage andoperations.
VMware is in a good position because enterprises already use a variety of VMware’s management and privatecloud software offerings; the company has been effective at integrating NSX into the larger ecosystem; and it isattracting hardware and software integration partners. In the enterprise, validated product integration with NSXis almost universally a requirement to adoption. Many networking vendors like Arista, Cumulus, Dell EMC, HPE,and Juniper have validated integration and VMware is continually building its partner ecosystem across a numberof technology verticals. VMware is claiming 2,900 NSX customers with 1,200 to 1,500 in production, which is well
short of the total vCenter customers. As a result, VMware and its technology partners still have a lot of growthopportunities.
Nuage’s Virtualized Cloud Services are unique in providing SDN within the data center, between data centers, incloud services and out to the branch with its Virtualized Networks Services SD-WAN product, although thisdoesn’t include the campus LAN which, if included, would be a significant differentiator. Extreme’s SDN controlleris based on Open Daylight and Huawei’s is based on ONOS, both open source projects which should providebenefits from community development and broad ecosystem support for the emergent platform. However, eachvendor will still have to provide assurances and support that integrated products work as described, which maypose difficulties for products that are not validated.
MARKET DRIVERS
• Operational Efficiency: This is what SDN offers. Specifically, operational efficiency in the face of dynamicallychanging application lifecycles which reduces overhead and risk of human error. Too much time and money isspent on talented administrators manually documenting and implementing changes.
• Rapid Application Lifecycle: Enterprises want to reduce the time and effort it takes to deploy, change, andremove applications, eliminating any operational bottlenecks in the process. SDN, via automated andorchestrated workflows, can reliably automate the entire network lifecycle under the command of anorchestration system.
• Decoupling: As application architects build applications that can run in a variety of environments, they aredesigning the applications to operate independently of the network. This clear demarcation removes networkconstraints on the applications, but requires that the network operates independently, reliably, and efficiently.
• Function Junction: Networking vendors are offering more hardware appliances as virtual functions, allowingIT to reduce hardware requirements and gain agility with software-only network functions like firewalls,application delivery controllers, etc. Orchestrating the instantiation of software appliances and service chaining iscritical to efficient IT.
• Risk Reduction: Enterprises are very interested in reducing the risk of malware and ransom ware frommoving laterally across an open data center network. Methodologies like isolation and micro-segmentationsignificantly impede lateral attack movement for very little additional operational cost.
• End-to-End: Enterprises are examining many of the same benefits found in data center SDN for the campusand branch locations, including automation and benefits like better isolation and micro-segmentation, dynamicservices, and easier management. Having unified management and an integrated SDN makes a compelling casefor efficient operations.
BUYING CRITERIA
• Outside DC Deployment: gauges the breadth and integration of SDN outside the data center. SDN, whichextends to the campus and branch locations, offers end-to-end security and performance controls and simplifiedoperations management. Nuage and Huawei have good end-to-end SDN while Cisco has some loose integration.Big Switch and VMware don’t have credible end-to-end strategies.
• End-to-End DC Deployment: rates the completeness of SDN control within the data center and cloud across
physical and virtual networks and workloads, as well as its reach into cloud services. VMware makes this difficultwith NSX while other hypervisor and container systems are more versatile.
• Built-in Capabilities: represents the native networking and service features with the product includingrouting, switching, P2V connectivity, service chaining, security and performance mechanisms. The moreintegrated capabilities, the less likely customers will have to augment—and complicate—their networking stack.
• Optional Capabilities: rates any vendor-optional features that are outside of the core SDN platform butwhich enhance it in some way. Examples include service chained security functions that come with vendorproducts and enhanced network and performance analysis.
• Ecosystem: assesses the vendors’ technical ecosystem. SDN vendors don’t need to create all of theapplication functions themselves and should rely on a wide array of partners to fill capability gaps and add value.Integration comes in the form of relying on open source software like OpenDaylight. Big Switch, Cisco andExtreme do this directly, as well as through vendor-specific partner programs.
• Competitive Momentum: describes the vendors’ market traction and mind share in IT. Cisco and VMwareare leading in this category because of their footprint in enterprise data centers, but other vendors like BigSwitch and Huawei are making in-roads.
VENDOR RECOMMENDATIONS
• Consistency Now: VMware needs to move faster to provide a feature and management consistent NSX in allenvironments. NSX-V is the flagship product but NSX-T is supposedly the future but that was the story with thenow end-of-life NSX-MH. Feature disparity and multiple management domains are hurdles and competitivewedges.
• Two to Beat: Cisco and VMware have well-articulated SDN strategies and product roadmaps whichenterprises can readily access. Competitors should develop an equally well-articulated strategy to promote theirposition and roadmap both to retain existing customers and attract new ones.
• Applications Rule: SDN integration with applications such as Microsoft Skype for Business and SAP S/4 HANAlet enterprise customers see immediate benefits and demonstrate the value of SDN.
• Plumbing has Value:Microsoft and VMware should continue to partner with physical network vendors toprovide an integrated overlay/underlay network, which will broaden their appeal and open opportunities forpartners to provide an integrated solution.
BUYER RECOMMENDATIONS
• All-in on Integration : Enterprise IT should evaluate its networking vendor’s ecosystem and ensure that theproducts it uses are supported with the selected SDN. Unsupported and unintegrated network products in anSDN will significantly impede any attempts to automate data center operations.
• Lock-in No Matter What:Enterprise IT should fully understand its vendor’s product roadmap and integrationstrategy because SDN (due to its reliance on integration with other products) will make replacement moredifficult in the future.
• Reflect on Automation:Enterprises should determine if they need network automation or SDN. Automationsimply removes manual steps from network management and can have huge benefits through faster changeswith fewer errors. SDN makes the network dynamic and subject to programmatic change. Both methods havebenefits, but are fundamentally different in scope and requirements.
PRODUCT EVALUATIONS
Product Name Big Switch Big Cloud Fabric
Product Scores • Outside DC Deployment: Vulnerable• End-to-End DC Deployment: Very Strong• Built-in Capabilities: Competitive• Optional Capabilities: Competitive• Ecosystem: Strong• Competitive Momentum: Vulnerable
Overall Score Competitive
Strengths • Support for multiple orchestration and containerplatforms as well as physical and virtual networking is acomplete solution.• Big Switch as deep support for VMware NSX providing arobust underlay for the overlay network.• Built-in analytics supports physical to virtual monitoringand troubleshooting.• Hardware support for branded and unbranded white-box switches from Dell EMC and HPE offers a variety ofhardware options.• Big Switch’s pod approach makes it easy for customersto start small and expand as needed.
Limitations • Gaining a foothold against established vendors hinderscustomer adoption.• Land and expand in brownfield deployments slowsadoption and growth.• A software-only approach means partners have tocombine hardware and support the full offering.• Big Switch is still a start-up with the business risks thatimplies.• Big Switch can be used in the campus but would requireexternal management for campus features like PoE.
Product Name Cisco ACI
Product Scores • Outside DC Deployment: Competitive• End-to-End DC Deployment: Very Strong
• Built-in Capabilities: Very Strong• Optional Capabilities: Leader• Ecosystem: Very Strong• Competitive Momentum: Leader
Overall Score Very Strong
Strengths • Cisco is extending ACI into public cloud services startingwith AWS.• ACI offers support for physical and virtual switchingSDN control including VMware’s distributed virtual switch.
• Mutli-Pod and Multi-Site architectures address the needsof large, distributed enterprises.• ACI support for Container networking provides auniform policy management for workloads.• Cisco has over 65 technology partners spanningsecurity, ADC, operations, monitoring and integration.• Cisco enhances the Nexus 9000 switch family withhigher speed and more capacity.
Limitations • Lack of support for tunnel endpoint functions whenused with VMware’s NSX presents an operational hurdlefor enterprises.• Cisco lacks a cohesive campus to data center SDNsolution that addresses operational workflows.• Cisco maintains clear boundaries between technologieswhich are hurdles to integration within its own productlines.• Technology partner integration is inconsistent creatinga gap between deep and shallow integration.
Product Name Huawei Cloud Fabric
Product Scores • Outside DC Deployment: Very Strong• End-to-End DC Deployment: Strong• Built-in Capabilities: Strong• Optional Capabilities: Very Strong• Ecosystem: Competitive• Competitive Momentum: Strong
Overall Score Strong
Strengths • The Agile Controller is the same ONOS-based softwareused for service providers offering a feature rich androbust platform.
• Huawei integrates well with partner software as well aswith the Open Daylight controller.• The Agile Controller integrates with common privatecloud software from Microsoft, OpenStack, Red Hat,VMware and Huawei’s own FusionSphere.• Huawei has an extensive campus SDN that includesmobility capabilities and integration with the data center.• Huawei supports SDN on physical, virtual andcontainerized Docker workloads.
Limitations • Huawei’s SDN product line is composed of manyproducts that increase operational overhead andcomplicates administration.• Huawei doesn’t have clear and consistent messaging onenterprise SDN, making raising awareness difficult.• Huawei’s ecosystem is not as deep or broad ascompetitors, increasing friction in the enterprise.
Strengths • Contrail has solid support for OpenStack and container-based environments including Kuberbnetes andOpenShift.• Contrail offers a good set of built-in capabilities likerouting, firewalling, and policy management.• Contrail integrated with VMware’s vCenter viamanagement plugin that provides UI integration as wellas passing status updates.• Contrail can configure Juniper’s networking hardware tosupport interconnection between the SDN and the rest ofthe network.• Contrail components can be run as containersstreamlining operations and management.
Limitations • Juniper has very little market share and momentumwith enterprise SDN, making it difficult to get to the
table. • Juniper’s data center SDN ecosystem is not as deep asthose of competitors, increasing friction in the enterprise.
Product Name Nuage Networks Virtualized Cloud Services
Product Scores • Outside DC Deployment: Very Strong• End-to-End DC Deployment: Strong• Built-in Capabilities: Strong• Optional Capabilities: Very Strong• Ecosystem: Very Strong• Competitive Momentum: Strong
Overall Score Very Strong
Strengths • The umbrella Virtualized Services Platform is anintegrated solution spanning DC SDN, SD-WAN, securityand analytics.• Broad support for physical and virtual computeenvironments including Docker, KVM, Microsoft,OpenStack, and VMware.• VCS integrates and controls physical switches fromArista, Dell EMC, HPE, and Nokia and bare metalswitches.• VCS has a strong policy-based management system forgranular security and performance controls.• VCS offers virtual switching and routing within the datacenter and to and from cloud platforms.
Limitations • VSP isn’t well suited for the campus network which is agap competitors are filling ahead of demand.• VCS doesn’t integrate with VMware’s NSX for VTEP orVMware’s distributed switch which causes operationalissues in enterprise data centers.• Nuage will face significant headwinds against Cisco andVMware in data center SDN.
Product Name VMware NSX
Product Scores • Outside DC Deployment: Vulnerable• End-to-End DC Deployment: Competitive• Built-in Capabilities: Strong• Optional Capabilities: Strong• Ecosystem: Very Strong• Competitive Momentum: Leader
Overall Score Strong
Strengths • VMware is the dominant private cloud vendor and has astrong foothold on the enterprise DC, reducing friction fornew products.• NSX-T is positioned for multi-hypervisor and container-based environments.• NSX is tightly integrated with VMware’s softwaredefined data center suite for seamless operation.• Achieving Common Criterial EAL2+ certification allowsNSX to be used in government networks needing highsecurity assurance.• VMware has a strong partner ecosystem with NSX,giving customers choices in network functions.• NSX supports service insertion of its own networkfunctions as well as third-party products.
Limitations • Having multiple versions of NSX leads to feature gapsthat customers have to bridge.• NSX is considered an expensive additional cost in theface of other data center infrastructure.• NSX has extremely limited support for physicalworkloads forcing IT into complicated workflows.• VMware has no campus SDN integration with NSX.• Critical features like hardware VTEP and serviceinsertion requires more expensive licensing adding tocost and gaps.
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