More than simply a hot topic in optical networking, Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is quickly becoming the single best way for defense and intelligence organizations to achieve greater network situational awareness, accelerate the pace of implementing new services, and reduce ongoing operational costs.
SDN is an emerging technology that can help modernize military networks. Research firm IDC predicts the global market for SDN will grow by 89 percent per year, from $960 million in 2014 to more than $8 billion in 2018; to meet requirements for data center consolidation, for example, military and intelligence agencies are finding they can migrate from traditional networks to more resilient, high-performance SDN network infrastructures.
By leveraging SDN, defense and intelligence organizations can effectively reduce power, space requirements, and complexity in data center operations, and realize significant cost reductions. Because it is software-based, SDN absorbs networking tasks previously locked inside traditional routers and switches. In conventional networks, the network control and data planes, are traditionally located in hardware. In an SDN infrastructure, the control plane is a software function that operates independently of network hardware. This logical separation of the network and data control planes enables SDN to support advanced applications in science, research, intelligence, and military operations.
Through the ability to decouple network control and forwarding functions, SDN allows network control to become programmable, and the underlying infrastructure to be abstracted from applications and network services. This makes networks more flexible and easier to manage, simplifying and automating labor-intensive network management functions. Distinct advantages for defense and intelligence organizations include:
Highly available bandwidth on demand – SDN allows organizations to rethink how to size networks. There's no longer a need to strand idle network capacity to meet peak demand. Instead, any excess capacity available can be repurposed for other services or applications when not needed to meet peak demand functions.
Cost-effective operations – SDN leverages Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technology rather than traditional, proprietary network solutions, which tend to lock users in.
True, multivendor interoperations/connectivity – SDN allows customers to write a common interface to manage multiple devices without having to learn the intricate features of every type of device currently in use on the network. For example, Ciena demonstrated key interoperability features working with Brocade TopRX switches last summer at AFCEA's Joint Information Environment symposium (AFCEA-JIE), when participating in a Secure SDN Demo.
Despite these advantages, military and intelligence networks should take heed before making widespread investments in SDN because there is still work to be done to ensure the new standard will mesh with federal security requirements. Initial standards development began in academia, and now industry standards bodies such as the Open Networking Foundation are working to further the adoption of SDN and a related technology called Network Functions Virtualization.
However, once properly implemented, SDN can allow for far greater visibility into where information is flowing through the network—enhancing network security. Improved visibility is crucial to optimizing network management and control, as SDN aids in unifying network management as opposed to using multiple isolated management platforms. In military and intelligence operations, improved visibility would deter unauthorized users from transmitting or downloading information.
In an SDN network environment, security appliances placed on key points of the network would allow for periodic or continuous monitoring to check information flow as well as pinpoint and/or detect any anomalous behavior on the network. For example, Ciena has demonstrated that the integration of multiple COTS solutions can properly secure SDN to ensure operator authentication, machine-to-machine authentication, encryption of classified traffic, and command and control functions, without impacting the flexibility of SDN operations.
SDN is an evolving infrastructure that can be used to resolve crucial network challenges. It has the potential to transform networks by delivering greater situational awareness and configuration control, virtualizing network functions to aid in reducing costs. For defense and intelligence organizations, it will be important to leverage key network programmability, customization, and security features to further strengthen crucial protections.
About the author: Bob Kimball is Chief Technology Officer for Ciena Government.
