In the past, configuring and managing a network meant connecting via a massive and complex infrastructure made of many different components. This type of network relied heavily on hardware, which made it clunky and expensive to operate — not to mention more vulnerable to equipment damage and failure. As a result, upgrading to offer new services and products could be time-consuming and extremely difficult. So how can we leave behind the burdensome networks of the past for a more responsive and scalable infrastructure?

In order to adapt to the lightning-fast growth and requirements of an increasingly digital world, our networks need to become more flexible and agile. Here is a brief rundown of what network engineers believe we need for a network transformation and where we’re headed.

Network Virtualization

The answer to a more adaptive, future-proof network infrastructure is something known as network virtualization, or NV. In a nutshell, virtualizing the network means separating the physical network equipment from the software so that network functionalities become independent of the hardware that they run on. Network virtualization is composed of two technologies: software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV). Together, they create streamlined virtual networks that don’t rely on physical hardware and can, therefore, better adapt to and support increasingly virtual computing environments.

Network virtualization has the potential to greatly mitigate the challenges that businesses and data centers face today by offering a way to program and design the network without disrupting the underlying infrastructure. This means that businesses can streamline the way they roll out and adjust resources and workloads to meet changing business needs.

Network virtualization is a hot topic among network engineers and administrators who are thinking about what we need from future networking infrastructure. Here’s what that entails.

Software-Defined Networking

Software-defined networking is a component of NV. It’s an architecture that can create a more agile and flexible network by allowing network engineers and service providers to adapt and respond to changing business requirements, all within one centralized control console. SDN incorporates the separation of the software, which is responsible for running a network, from the physical hardware, such as routers and network switches, that controls the flow of traffic.  

With various communication endpoints installed on the same infrastructure, they’re centrally located and independently programmed, which means they’re designed to streamline and maximize traffic flow across the network. As a result, any changes in network demand means that purchasing new network nodes, or communication endpoints, is no longer necessary. Instead, the software can be reconfigured to adjust according to specific needs and fluctuations, making it possible to share capacity.

Network Function Virtualization

NFV is another aspect of network virtualization. NVF makes it possible to package each network task in one or more virtual machines and decide where to execute each. This replaces traditional services that require specific hardware — such as firewalls, routers, load balancers and XML processing — with virtualized software.

NVF helps business by saving on capital expenditures as well as operating expenses, because no dedicated hardware is needed and server capacity is scalable based on needs and fluctuations. What business could say no to that?

Ready to take your business into the future? Here at Taylored, our experienced IT experts are ready with solutions to help you improve the infrastructure of your business, giving you more flexibility and control. Whether you need a unified communications system or a cloud computing network, we’ll discuss your business goals to determine which IT solutions are best to streamline your organization for future success. Contact us today so you can join the computing revolution of the future.