At this year’s Open Networking Summit, a number of our member companies collaborated to present an all-day tutorial for product managers about OpenFlow-based Software-Defined Networking (SDN). The sold-out tutorial proved to be a big success, as attendees were left with standing room only and flooded outside the ballroom doors. During the tutorial, representatives focused on different network environments, described the typical network designs and associated challenges, identified how SDN is solving those challenges, and illustrated their examples with real-life business benefits observed post-implementation. Speakers and sessions included:
- WAN and Carrier Networks
- Harry Petty, Vello Systems, Inc.
- Matt Palmer, Wiretap Ventures
- Enterprise Data Center Networks
- Large Scale Global Data Center Networks
- Amit Agarwal, Google
- Rakesh Saha, IBM Systems & Technology Group
- Enterprise Campus Networks
- Matt Davy, Indiana University
- Steve Brar, HP Networking
- OpenFlow® and SDN in the Financial Industry
- Peter Krey, Krey Associates
Having presented the tutorial’s introductory module to the sold-out crowd and participated in the tutorial in its entirety, I must say that the vibe in the room was exciting. Attendees were eager to learn and hear from the various presenters, and we received great feedback from the audience. Key take-aways from the tutorial were:
- Software-Defined Networks offer tangible business value in a range of environments
- Real-world experience is growing rapidly among vendors, service providers, and enterprises
- The Open Networking Foundation is helping all parties make sense of this remarkable phenomenon.
The enthusiasm during the tutorial really spoke to the movement in the industry. The large attendance, leading presenters, and key take-aways showed that the industry is ready, SDN is real, and OpenFlow® is key. I was particularly struck by the informed nature of the questions compared to last October’s Summit. This time I felt that people were asking not so much because they wanted to know the answers but because they needed to know the answers. I’m not alone in being increasingly convinced that we’ve truly moved from research to commercialization, and this tutorial was the first of many data points that prove this point.
--Dan Pitt
