An executive overview of Software Defined Networking (SDN) in under 1 minute. Get up to speed with this emerging technology and understand just why SDN is the biggest development in networking for a generation.

1. Software Defined Networking (SDN)
In One Minute
A non-technical executive guide

2. Software Defined Networking in 1 minute
How traditional networking… works
 Imagine you have a packet that needs delivering
 You give it to a courier - It’s now in the network
 The courier asks directions at different points
 If it’s busy he asks for a different route
 If the packet is too big, he takes a less crowded
route
 The people he asks are like routers – they have
the knowledge

3. Software Defined Networking in 1 minute
How SDN works
 The courier now has a smartphone with GPS
 The route is constantly updated and controlled
centrally
 The control knows the size of the packet and routes
it accordingly
 It can overlay information such as traffic
conditions…
 …that dynamically update his route… all from the
central point
 If his phone packs up, he can still ask the way

4. Software Defined Networking in 1 minute
Getting technical
 The central point, or “Control Plane”, is software
 Traditionally this is contained on routers along with
a “Data Plane”
 SDN decouples the “control plane” from the “data
plane”
 A network administrator no longer needs to hope
all the routers are optimally configured along the
route for his packet

5. Benefits?
 Faster networking for big
packets like video
 Cheaper simpler hardware
 Reduced reliance on
hardware configuration
 Reduced dependence on
vendors’ equipment product
cycles

6. For more information about Software Defined
Networking and other SDx technologies visit
www.logicalis.com