The Long March to SDN Transformation
-
The Long March to SDN Transformation
A new survey from Juniper Networks links advances in software-defined networking to enabling digital business disruptions. -
SDN and NFV Adoption
82% of ITDMs say they have deployed SDN. But only a third say their environment is predominantly based on SDN. And 85% report they are also already using NFV, with 36% saying NFVs are widely deployed. -
Top SDN Benefits
ITDMs that have implemented SDN cited cloud interconnect (54%), virtual data center (49%), security automation (48%) and network visibility (45%) as the primary benefits. -
Top NFV Benefits
Virtualization security and virtualization routing top the list, at 47% each, followed by network analytics (45%) and WAN optimization (44%). -
Rise of Automation
On average, about two-thirds of ITDMs and BDMs have a positive view of network automation. Another third admit to being anxious about it. -
Obstacles to IT Infrastructure Upgrades
For IT infrastructure upgrades, budget tops the list of obstacles for ITDMs (51%) and BDMs (48%). ITDMs also cite security and compliance (48%), followed by legacy network technologies (43%). In contrast, BDMs cite employee skill sets (43%) and security and compliance (40%) as the next major obstacles. -
IT Infrastructure as a Product Development Obstacle
More than two-thirds of ITDMs and BDMs say legacy IT infrastructure will be an obstacle to product development. -
Criticality of Network Services
Seven out of 10 ITDMs say the C-suite doesn't consider the network to be critical to their companies' success. -
Need for More Tech-Savvy Leaders in the C-Suite
Nearly nine of out 10 ITDMs and BDMs said their organization would perform better if the leaders in the C-suite were more tech-savvy. -
Rate of Digital Disruption
Only 22% of ITDMs and 30% of BDMs expect a technology, product or service disruption to occur in their industry within the coming year. But 33% of ITDMs and 21% of BDMs expect a disruption within one to two years. -
Time to Disruption
46% of ITDMs and 50% of BDMs said it would take their organization more than a year to deliver a new product or service. -
IT Skills Shortage
45% of ITDMs said that 25% or more of the IT organization will not have the critical skills required in five years, vs. 41% of BDMs that said the same.
What Partners Need to Know About HP, Inc. 
MSPs Face Big Cybersecurity Talent Gap 
Why Tech Companies Are Eager to Invest in 5G 
The Problem With Partner Referral Programs 
Microsoft Taps Channel for Digital Business 
New Technologies Will Fuel Channel Opportunities 
Channel's Transition to the Cloud Requires More Time 
Microsoft's Cloud Channel Begins to Mature 
Defining MSPs' Goals, Challenges and Tools 
Why Metrics Matter to the Channel There's been much progress in transforming enterprise networks, but not enough organizations equate advances in software-defined networking (SDN) with increased business agility, according to a new survey from Juniper Networks and Wakefield Research of 2,700 IT decision makers (ITDMs) and business decision makers (BDMs). More than 90 percent of ITDMs say they have deployed SDNs and network-functions virtualization (NFV) software, yet only a third say their environment is predominantly based on SDNs. Most organizations operate two networking environments. One based on SDN technology tends to be highly automated. The other is based on legacy networking technology that requires each piece of networking equipment to be manually configured. The biggest challenge in shifting to SDNs is available budget. Yet seven out of 10 IT decision makers say the business leaders inside their firms don't view the network as critical to company success. A compelling case must be made that links advanced networking services to digital business initiatives in a way senior business execs can understand. Otherwise, the study suggests, advances in enterprise networking will be dictated more by infrastructure depreciation cycles than business strategy.