32% of Organizations Cite Confusion Over Vendor Strategies As A Top Barrier to SDN Adoption, According To New InformationWeek Reports Research

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- InformationWeek Reports (http://reports.informationweek.com), a service provider for peer-based IT research and analysis, announced the release of its latest research report. Understanding Software-Defined Networks analyzes results from InformationWeek's 2012 Software-Defined Networking survey. 250 business technology professionals responded to this poll.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121010/SF89440-INFO)

Research Summary:
InformationWeek asked respondents who were familiar with software-defined networking (SDN) to share their attitudes about this developing technology, the role that the OpenFlow protocol will play, and how it will affect the vendor landscape and the pricing of network equipment. Survey participants were also asked about the impact of SDN on network security and how they would promote SDN to business leaders.

Findings: 

• Only 17% of respondents say they are very familiar with SDN.
• 42% say networks will be somewhat or much more secure as a result of implementing SDN.
• Just 15% predict their organizations' networks will be mostly or exclusively based on SDN in five years, while 54% think SDN and traditional networks will coexist about equally.
• 40% of those with or planning to have SDN in production are very or completely willing to make architectural changes to their production networks in order to achieve the promised benefits of SDN.

The report author, Jim Metzler, is the founder of the industry consultancy Ashton, Metzler & Associates.

For full access to the research data, members can download now: http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/6/9044/Data-Center/research-understanding-software-defined-networks.html?cid=rpt_press_rls

"Software-defined networking has the potential to transform networks to the same degree that virtualization transformed severs and the data center," says Andrew Conry-Murray, editor at Network Computing. "But before IT organizations can reap the benefits of that transformation, they have to understand the different technological approaches to SDN and measure those approaches against their companies' own needs and goals. This report will help."

For more information:
Art Wittmann    
VP & Managing Director, InformationWeek Reports
415-947-6361
awittmann@techweb.com

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