Bill Ting, Market Evangelist, Riverbed Technology talks about the adoption of software-defined data centre (SDDC)
Bill Ting,
Market Evangelist,
Riverbed Technology
- Vendors are racing to lead the movement towards a software-defined data centre. Where we are up to in this journey, and how far are we from seeing this trend widely adopted?
At the moment, we are in the early stages of adoption of the software-defined data centre (SDDC) and, for many businesses; a true SDDC will be some distance off. Organisations are still trying to figure out which vendor’s “vision” they should followor, assuming that SDDC is still in its testing phase for many, they might look at a variety of vendors they can use at the same time without being tied to one. It is therefore important that each vendor has a clearly defined roadmap which enables CIOs to make clear and informed choices and select a technology partner which aligns to the company’s own vision for the future. CIOs need the flexibility to continuously adapt with their environments and stay ahead of trends, without getting locked down to a certain direction by a vendor.
- Looking at all the components of a data centre, which one poses the most challenges to being virtualised and software-defined?
The virtualisation of networks has undoubtedly posed the biggest challenge. Data centres are made up of computers, storage and networks.Both servers and storagehave been virtualised for years. But we are only now seeingsigns of the network becoming virtualised.
If networks were easy to virtualise, it would have happened a long time ago already. But it’s only happening now because technology like software defined networking (SDN) has made it more effective.Traditional network equipment bundles the decision-making logic (the “control plane”) and the packet delivery mechanism (the “forwarding plane”) into a single box. In SDN, these functions are separated. Boxes still move data, but the decisions are made by software running on general-purpose computers. So, with SDN it becomes possible to build fully virtualised networks completely decoupled from the underlying hardware.
- Why has there been confusion about how software-defined should be interpreted, and how has this affected the market?
We’re currently going through a phase I call “software-defined washing”. Many vendors claim to be providing software-defined services; however, in reality, all they are doing is rebranding an old product or service by associating the SDN buzzword with it. The same happened when cloud computing became popular.
There’s also a perception that programmable means software-defined, but this is not true. Just because a product has an API (application programming interface) does not mean it is software-defined.
If we insisted that ‘software defined’ be limited to the classical definition of where something that used to be done in specialised hardware, that’s now done in software running on general purpose hardware, then it may be easier to identify products that are truly software defined – as opposed to those just using the term as a “marketing spin”.
- The idea of a software defined data centre – virtualising and automating the entire infrastructure – wildly disrupts the make-up of a traditional IT team. How can CIOs handle the inevitable resistance some of their IT employees will make?
The fast pace in which technology evolves frequently creates disruption within the IT team. The key to minimising this disruption is education and training. Given the variety of employees with different personalities, attitudes, and levels of willingness to change,it’s important that CIOs bring in outside help, such as management consultants who specialise in this sort of activity. They have the experience to help teams deal with these changes and can also help identify personality traits that could hinder or aid the change. And for the few who simply who simply refuse to adapt, dismissal may be the best option.
- To what extend does a software-defined model negate the need to deploy the public cloud? What effect will this have on the market?
A software-defined model doesn’t negate the need to deploy public cloud. Organisations don’t choose to embrace cloud because of the cloud’s architectural difference; they do it to take advantage of the benefits that don’t exist in an on-premise environment.
- For CIOs looking for pure bottom?line incentives they can take to senior management, what is the true value of a software-defined infrastructure?
A good approach would be for CIOs to bring forward a “blended” argument – one that incorporates different benefits of a software-defined everything without limiting the incentives to one area. In turn, this will help appeal to more people from different areas of the business. The argument should include practical business benefits such as energy and cost savings, but also strategic factors such as increased agility, faster response times and better work performance. Presenting both sides to the senior management will help attract the majority to accepting the idea.
Software-defined everything allows for better utilisation of resources in the data centre because you can minimize expansion, even while adding more software – the opposite of which is true with hardware. Software-defined networks allow you to get more work done in the same amount of space in the data centre and cuts out the need to continue buying special-purpose hardware. Moving around and accommodating organisational structures are also much easier, giving the IT department more agility and enabling rapid business change.
As the CIO is expected to present cost benefits within IT changes, support from the CMO should also be considered. The CMO can offer the strategic benefits – the non-financial messages – and pin the software-defined argument to the C-suite audience, from agile and more productive employees, to increased competitive advantage. The latter will be key for the organisation and will enable the CIO to bring senior management on board.
- To what extent will a software-defined infrastructure change the way end-users should approach security in the data centre?
A software-defined infrastructure shouldn’t really change the end-user experience with regards to security. They will continue to follow the policies that the IT team puts in place. A software-defined infrastructure will change the way that security administrators do their job, but this issue is removed from the end-user. Software defined everything creates abstractions up and down the technology stack that make it very easy to swap and replace individual elements. At the policy level, though, and when considering the end-user experience,users should not notice any changes.
- Where do you see the software-defined market going over the next couple of years?
Just as cloud and big data have reached maturity and widespread deployment as part of an IT strategy, the software-defined market is likely to define the corporate network in the years to come. People are already starting to see the value in SDN. Initially, it was a case of people consideringwhether it made sense to implement software-defined infrastructures into their business.But noworganisationsare actually converting their networks because they see the value in a fully software-defined data centre.
With network virtualisation, the operational problems in data centres become much simpler. But the speed of adoption depends on both a change in mind-set and also effective planning, both of which may still be several steps in the future for many companies.
A fully software-defined data centre will be a game-changer for those organisations that successfully execute the vision. Even without being an early adopter, businesses today can look ahead and begin to make preparations, such as conducting test implementations of SDN and increasing their experience with virtualisation.