CV_JulAug_21_3

Automating the world The SDN market size was estimated to be more than $8 billion in 2018 and is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 40 percent through 2025, accord- ing to Global Market Insights (GMI). GMI highlights how the explosion in the number of mobile devices and server visualization along with cloud computing technologies are forcing enterprises to re-examine their conventional network architectures. Most of the traditional network architectures are hierarchical and built on tiers of Ethernet switches. The design of these networking frame- works is ill-suited to cope with dynamic computing and storage needs to today’s enterprise networks. SDN can help due to its dynamic and flexible network architecture that can respond to constantly chang- ing business, end-user and market requirements. According to the Open Network Foundation (ONF), SDN is an emerging architecture that is dynamic, manage- able, cost-effective and adaptable, making it ideal for the high-bandwidth, dynamic nature of today’s applications. This architecture decouples the network control and forwarding functions, enabling the network control to become directly programmable and the underly- ing infrastructure to be abstracted for applications and network services. From a business standpoint, deliv- ering fast, secure and reliable digital experiences is one of the keys to increasing consumer engagement and brand stickiness. In this new 5G edge world, SDN is set to become a pillar in the design of 5G networks, especially by enabling operators and OTTs to build an intelligent architecture for network programmability, as well as the creation of multiple network hierarchies. This is where HGC’s SDX Interna- tional Marketplace can help. The SDN platform provides fast provisioning of on-demand data center-to-data center and data center-to-cloud connectivity, centralized network management, and zero-touch services provisioning with a pay-as-you-go model and flexible contract periods to support OTT telco services. Through the SDX International Marketplace, customers can reach differ- ent global public cloud services such as AWS, Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, as well as international Internet Exchanges such as AMS-IX and LINX, DE-CIX, to meet the needs of ISPs and global OTTs. In the long run, those who will survive in the new edge, 5G, SDN world, will be the ones who do not wait for demand to surpass their capabilities to serve the market where they operate. Expanding your ICT environments, automating them and digitizing your digital footprint, are keys to evolving into a true 21st century platform aimed at making sense of data and, most importantly, in real time from anywhere. Do that, and the return on investment will catapult your brand to a new level. Dennis Chan is assistant vice president, OTT & ICT Solutions, International Business at HGC Global Communications. 31 July - August 2021 | CHANNEL V ISION