I’m sure you have heard the saying, “no one ever got fired for buying IBM.” This phrase described playing it safe, implying that sticking with the largest, most established vendor (IBM at the time), was the safe bet. Along with the dated choice of IBM as the standard, the phrase has lost its relevance in today’s fast-changing, global marketplace. No standard lasts longer than two years and such a conservative vision is a sure way to sink rather than swim.
There’s another phrase you may have heard of, “without meaningful change there can be no growth, only status quo,” which better describes the competitive and changing nature of today’s economy. The evolving digital landscape we work in today is forcing businesses of all shapes and sizes to abandon the status quo and look to emerging, innovative network technologies to support the market’s shifting needs and growing trends. More and more businesses are integrating cloud, mobility, and IoT technologies to get ahead, which places more and more pressure on IT infrastructure.
That’s where Software Defined Networking comes in. SDN provides a faster, more efficient, more dynamic, and more scalable network infrastructure; ultimately changing the way traditional networks operate for the better. SDN isn’t the status quo. SDN is something that competes with the IBM attitude in the opening phrase above. Nowadays that IBM attitude is more likely to get you fired, because without change there is no growth, and without growth, you fail.
Moving beyond the status quo, and pushing the envelope with SDN can be exciting, scary, and stressful all at once, but it’s necessary and luckily you have us to help you through it. We have put together the Ultimate SDN Planning Toolkit to bring clarity to the intricacies of SDN, from exploring the possibilities all the way to buying.
Here are the four resources included:
- Special Industry Report – SDN in the Data Center
Consulting analyst and industry reports to look for external recognition on emerging technologies and solutions is critical to planning for SDN. Learn what the experts are saying about SDN in the Data Center from credible industry analysts and thought leaders. - Leading Edge Use-Case – Simple Migration to SDN
Learn from the experience of others and read this case study detailing how the Town of Enfield, Connecticut added SDN to an existing network to provide an on-demand user experience. Check out their goals, challenges, results, and process to give you a better idea of what the future holds with your SDN deployment.
- Solution Brochure – An Evolutionary SDN Platform to Promote Community-Led Innovation
Discover how you can migrate your existing (brownfield) network to SDN without expensive forklift upgrades. - SDN Evaluation Guide – 5 Questions to Ask Every Vendor
Ah, the evaluation stage. Don’t worry; you are not alone in this! We put together a simple, but comprehensive guide to help select which vendor’s SDN platform is best equipped to support your needs.
SDN is the wave of the IT future and the time to start planning is now.
Download your free SDN planning toolkit today.
What resources are helping you get SDN planning off the ground? Share your thoughts, suggestions, and feedback in the comments below.