The 5 Hottest Software-Defined Networking Products Of 2020 (So Far)

SDN technology is helping businesses overcome the new networking requirements that the COVID-19 pandemic unceremoniously ushered in. Here are a handful of the hottest SDN solutions on the market today.

A Software-First Approach

There‘s no denying that interest in software-defined networking (SDN) solutions had been on the rise, but then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The global health crisis has changed the networking game, in some cases, overnight. Employees all over the globe left the enterprise campus and began working from home full-time, creating millions of “mini branches” that had to be accommodated. At the same time, businesses have had to re-think their approach to networking and IT. That‘s because they were facing supply chain issues, or simply couldn’t afford large, premise-based technology refreshes anymore as COVID-19 spurred an economic downturn.

But the silver lining is SDN technology. This agile approach to network management is giving businesses the programmability they want and need, without breaking the bank. And it‘s letting both businesses and channel partners add new services on the fly, like security capabilities and SD-WAN.

Here are five of the hottest SDN solutions on the market today that are helping companies adjust to the new normal‘s networking requirements.

Alkira Cloud Services Exchange

Multi-cloud networking startup Alikra emerged from stealth mode in April, bringing with it its Cloud Services Exchange (CSX), a unified, on-demand offering that lets cloud architects and network engineers build and deploy a multi-cloud network in minutes.

Alkira CSX offers cloud networking in an as-a-service format with the flexibility to turn services on and off as the business requires, with no up-front Capex purchase necessary, the company said told CRN.

San Jose, Calif.-based Alkira plans on going to market primarily through the channel, according to the company.

Aruba SD-Branch

Aruba Networks, an HPE company, in January updated its SD-Branch networking offering, which supports SD-WAN, routing, and connectivity. Aruba‘s updates to SD-Branch, while made at the very beginning of 2020, couldn’t have come at a better time as campus, branch, and remote working use cases all took a very unexpected turn as a result of the pandemic.

Aruba SD-Branch now includes Aruba’s unified branch defense capabilities, enhanced public cloud on-ramp functionality with Zero-Trust, and a branch gateway that offers connectivity using cellular technology. The security updates are particularly important for distributed enterprises, Aruba told CRN at the time.

Cisco DNA Center

Networking giant Cisco‘s Digital Network Architecture (DNA) Center, its intent-based networking dashboard, got a shot in the arm with more AI in June. Specifically, the platform now includes AI Endpoint Analytics, a software feature that lets Cisco DNA Center identify previously unknown endpoints at scale and then drawing from various contextual sources and AI, these endpoints can be segmented, grouped appropriately, and have policies applied, according to San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco.

Cisco DNA Center gives businesses and channel partners the ability to do more advanced network segmentation, automation, and provides more visibility, which will be especially critical for IoT environments and customers that need to run “smarter” operations in the new tech normal, partners told CRN in June.

Cumulus Networks' NetQ

Open networking software provider Cumulus Networks in April released its latest version of its network operations tool -- NetQ 3.0. The tool, which employs

telemetry for troubleshooting, visibility, and automating workflows from one interface, now includes Lifecycle Management capabilities. This addition gives NetQ easily upgrade, configure and deploy network elements through greater visibility, troubleshooting, validation, trace and comparative look-back functionality, the company said.

Chipmaker Nvidia in May revealed its plan to acquire Cumulus Networks, but did not disclose financial terms of the proposed deal.

128 Technology's Session Smart Router

Networking software startup 128 Technology in May launched a series of software updates to help businesses meet new work from home demands on the network.

Specifically, the firm unveiled Version 4 of the 128 Technology Session Smart Router. The latest version was updated with SD-Branch, Remote Work, and 5G capabilities. SD-Branch takes SD-WAN to the next level by automating branch sites and eliminating room for configuration errors at these locations. The Remote Work feature is a new software client that can run on end-user mobile devices to support work from home connectivity and IoT endpoints. 128‘s 5G capability facilitates the discovery of services located closest to the user, as well as network slicing based on the needs of the application., according to the company.

The software updates can help businesses save money and operate more efficiently by lowering bandwidth usage and reducing hardware costs, 128 told CRN.