SDN Vendors Vie For Market, Mindshare

It's a land grab in the software-defined networking market, with heavyweights and startups rolling out an array of technologies for automating the network.

Kurt Marko

April 16, 2014

1 Min Read
NetworkComputing logo in a gray background | NetworkComputing

While software-defined networking is key to every networking vendor’s product strategy, that doesn’t mean IT is buying the message. In fact, InformationWeek's most recent SDN Survey shows that most vendors earn a failing grade when it comes to explaining their plans.

The survey asked respondents to rate on a scale of 1 through 5 how familiar they are with the SDN strategies of 20 vendors, with a score of 5 equaling “extremely familiar.” Except for Cisco, which eked out a gentleman’s C with a rating of 3.1 out of 5, respondents are generally unfamiliar with vendors’ plans.

The survey also asked which vendors’ strategies best address their organizations’ requirements. A majority of respondents, 58%, say Cisco’s SDN strategy best fits their business needs, perhaps as a result of its market share leadership and ability to directly communicate its vision and product plans with customers. Other major enterprise vendors, including Arista, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Juniper, are bunched in the 16% range, while small SDN specialty shops such as Embrane, Midokura, and Plexxi are barely blips on respondents’ radar screens.

Read the rest of this story on Network Computing.

About the Author

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Stay informed! Sign up to get expert advice and insight delivered direct to your inbox

You May Also Like


More Insights