Avaya Leap Frogs Technology With New SDN Products & Capabilities

Avaya has introduced a new, open software-defined networking (SDN) architecture that can help the Indian government deliver on its digital inclusion vision, and allow the country’s enterprises to  create the agile networks required by today’s dynamic applications.  The Avaya SDN Fx architecture is one of the first to deliver the “smart foundation” required to connect anything, anywhere.

Marc Randall, Sr VP & GM, Avaya Networking says, "the new architecture shaves off weeks in provisioning time by allowing devices and users at the network edge to be added easily to the network. The Avaya SDN Fx architecture, built on the Avaya Fabric Networking technology, features new products and capabilities for a complete solution that delivers on the promise of SDN, without the hidden complexity that comes with the towering overlays of software and hardware inherent in many other vendor approaches."

The Avaya SDN Fx architecture builds on three primary tenets to meet many of the expectations IT departments seek from SDN:  

* An automated core that takes advantage of a single, network-wide Ethernet fabric to remove the need for manual configuration at each network hop; thus, reducing the potential for error and accelerating time to service.

         * An open ecosystem that utilizes standard fabric protocols married with open interfaces and open source customization tools empowering IT to quickly respond to changing business requirements with precision and flexibility.

        * An enabled edge that leverages fabric extension beyond the data center to the user edge, allowing applications, devices and users to simply connect anywhere along the network and interact seamlessly to create a more agile and productive business environment.

The Avaya SDN Fx architecture can support a wide range of use cases, such as supporting the security and mobility of devices connecting to the ever-growing Internet of Things. Environments such as those found in hospitals, schools and universities, airports and manufacturing floors are blanketed with devices that require a more secure, mobile connection to the network, and may also require that the rest of the network is better protected from potential threats that could be triggered by them.

Similarly, home-based contact center agents pose an expense and operational burden by requiring dedicated resources to provide more secure access to customer information and alignment with IT security policies. "With the Avaya SDN Fx solution, a small network adapter provides automated and dynamic connectivity, mobility and a level of security to the network based on the device or user identity. The adapter will be reset and disabled if removed from the environment. This removes the burden of installation from IT, as end users can simply connect the adapters and allow the automated process to fully configure the device," adds Randall.

According to a recent Avaya survey, 64 percent of IT professionals in India want SDN to extend beyond the data center; however, 26 percent of them say the ability to do so today is extremely or moderately limited.  In addition, of the challenges that IT pros are looking to SDN to solve, 80 percent insist that SDN programming must be simple before they will adopt.