By virtualizing a network, you can transform network functions into software and disconnect them from the hardware they run on.
Benefits of Network Virtualization
Vendor options for hardware and software
By using network virtualization, you get rid of vendor-specific hardware and use vendor-independent commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) servers, also called white boxes. These COTS are broadly useful hardware that can run any type of network function as software.
The benefit of working with one networking software vendor arises from the fact that you have a single source of support for network issues.
Also, companies can work with systems integrators to design and implement an interoperable software networking architecture across multiple network vendors. As a result, you won’t have to worry about using a multi-vendor solution.
A company can also increase its hardware provider options when using a COTS model since it can search for a white box provider that meets its budget and resource requirements.
By selecting vendor-neutral hardware, money can be saved that can be spent on managed networking services and software. It’s always best for a company to do its due diligence while evaluating the most suitable model.
Controlling the network in one place
Having a virtual network makes it possible to make proactive and reactive adjustments to the network as the network demands change.
In a hardware-based network, changes often require a complete replacement. Similarly, the software can be upgraded remotely and relatively rapidly by a network administrator.
Admins can view and scatter network changes using software such as SDN controllers and other orchestration programs from any location.
Visibility of networks
Normally, a centralized network control point provides visibility into the majority of the network infrastructure and its traffic. Using this feature, dashboard administrators can manage and orchestrate the network displays, displaying data about network traffic at varying levels of detail according to the service.
For example, software devices such as extended detection and response (XDR) can log network traffic, inspect it for anomalies, and produce reports on network traffic behavior. In addition to providing noteworthy insights into the data, the reports are also useful for interpreting it.
It is not uncommon for large networks to generate more data than can be parsed and understood by human beings or even by some software. The unrecognized nature of these attacks poses a security risk. Automating networking can scale and respond to issues at a speed and scale that people are no longer capable of, which is why automation has become a priority.
Challenges of network virtualization
The data from Network Visibility
Managing a large virtualized network may become cumbersome due to an excessive number of endpoints. From user gadgets to networking gadgets to data centers and cloud-based servers, monitoring tools and networking teams can keep track of loads of data.
Monitoring software is also at a disadvantage when everything is spread out, as it cannot monitor the entire network and data system all at the same time. It is therefore important to determine the priority parts of the system to be examined.
The issue of storing data is another concern. The question of where data goes and for how long is a concern since so much of it is generated through the use of the network.
There are no physical ports to access data on virtual machines (VMs) like there are on hardware-based servers. Virtual machines allow multiple servers and VMs to run multiple applications at the same time.
The issue with containers has a similar effect, and their short life expectancy makes it difficult to keep up with what is in what containers and at what levels.
Use cases for network virtualization
Web hyper scalers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure take advantage of virtualization with cloud-native architecture to a greater extent.
Today, the closest thing we have to [cloud-native architecture] in actual use is the functionality provided by web-scale organizations. The way Amazon, Microsoft, and Google operate their cloud infrastructure – as well as the cloud as a whole – is the best depiction of what the end state might look like.
The network and IT workloads are handled by the most advanced architecture.
All networking capabilities are implemented as microservices running in containers for platform-agnostic servers.
The introduction of SD-WAN enabled a new revenue stream for telecom service providers through network virtualization. The telecoms transformed their physical networks into SD-WANs by giving their customers virtualized CPEs to authorize SD-WAN routing policies.
As one of the first virtualized use cases, SD-WAN fit over virtual CPE and represented one of the first virtualized use cases available to telcos.
The payment is made directly to the enterprise. As an alternative, SD-WAN vendors who offer networking solutions could directly sell to enterprises. Nonetheless, it is certainly one of the first virtualized use cases to take off in a telco environment.
Takeaways from Network Virtualization
Essentially, network virtualization is decomposing a network’s capacities into the functions of the software and disaggregating the assets into the software.
The end state of network virtualization consists of microservice-based, cloud-based network functions running on containers distributed across a cloud network.
Virtualization has many advantages, such as speed and simplicity of scaling network resources, upgrading policies, and unified control.
A major challenge posed by virtualization is shifting costs to managed service providers and increasing the amount of network data.
Telecoms can become SD-WAN service providers with network virtualization and further improve network availability in cloud data centers.
