Network operators are finding lowered capex/opex in the switch market after SDN and white box deployments, says Heavy Reading Components Insider.

April 17, 2015

2 Min Read

NEW YORK -- The telecom industry's move to software-defined networking (SDN) and white box deployments is driving significant changes in the switch market, which is likely to lead to lower capex and opex costs for network operators, according to the latest report from Heavy Reading Components Insider (www.heavyreading.com/commchip), a paid research service of Heavy Reading (www.heavyreading.com).

Switch Technology & Components for SDN & the White Box Era details and analyzes high-performance Ethernet switch devices, embedded SDN and OS software and innovative SDN switch systems, identifying the key requirements and highlighting the advantages they hold for equipment manufacturers and service providers. The report also reviews vendor strategies and surveys component features, performance and flexibility in this important market.

For a complete list of suppliers profiled in this report, click here.

"The deployment of SDN is having a major impact on the architecture of data center and other networks, and is driving a new ecosystem, including switch silicon, embedded software and systems," says Simon Stanley, research analyst for Heavy Reading and author of the report. "SDN and network functions virtualization (NFV) have significant potential to reduce service provider capex and opex by replacing dedicated systems with virtual functions running on standard servers, standard switches and COTS platforms that integrate switching and server hardware."

The switch market is changing with carriers sourcing white box switch solutions and investing in open solutions including SDN, NFV and OCP (Open Compute Project), Stanley says. "The challenge for the industry is not only developing these next-generation switch devices but also ensuring they interoperate with the growing open network infrastructure," he adds. "The winners will be those that can deliver on performance, flexibility and interoperability as SDN and the white box ecosystem continue to develop."

Key findings of Switch Technology & Components for SDN & the White Box Era include the following:

  • New SDN switch solutions with support for OpenFlow 1.4, VxLAN, NVGRE and GENEVE are entering the market

  • 3.2Tbit/s switch devices are available from two vendors

  • 25GE and 50GE support will enable progressive and cost-effective bandwidth growth in the data center

  • New vendors are challenging Broadcom, Intel and Marvell with innovative switch solutions

  • The SDN ecosystem is growing, including software, silicon devices and hardware platforms

  • White box switches and open architectures are driving the market for Ethernet switch devices

  • SDN-enabled network operating systems are available from multiple vendors

Switch Technology & Components for SDN & the White Box Era is available as part of an annual single-user subscription (6 issues per year) to Heavy Reading Components Insider, priced at $1,499. Individual reports are available for $900 (single-user license).

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