A Smart Transition to SDN Begins with a Graceful Evolution Strategy. Step by step instructions on howto get there.

1. A Smart Transition to
SDN Begins with a
Graceful Evolution
Strategy

2. Overview
Today’s voice-data-media networks, facing
unprecedented new challenges, are based on a
costly, cumbersome blend of different
technology generations, different signaling
protocols, and different applications. Add to
this volatile mixture an explosion of billions of
users and devices plus masses of connected
machines which makes it difficult to move
forward to programmable network
architecture.
The networks generate and transmit enormous
amounts of data that are growing at rates that
seem impossible to manage or interpret and as
depicted in this chart from Cisco, this is only
the beginning. Network service providers now
need instant insights from massive data
streams to make correct business decisions
based on customer, market, financial, and
operational objectives. In addition they need to know how users, devices and connected
machines are behaving in real-time.
This paper will explore this challenge and identify potential solutions for the transition to SDN.
KEY CHALLENGES
Real-time data challenge
The rise of new technology has changed how network operators gather business intelligence.
Traditional approaches for batch collecting, processing, and analyzing of data no longer suffice.
Network operators need real-time data to know what is going on inside their networks and how
users, devices, and connected machines are behaving as it happens.
Network evolution challenge
Transitioning from 2G/3G to the all IP-LTE networks and to SDN highlights an incompatibility
between signaling protocols that must be solved to allow smooth evolution. Network operators
can ill afford to replace entire existing systems in order to evolve.
Scalability
As demand on the voice-data-media network rapidly grows, network functions are unable to
keep pace. Networks become far too complex with the addition of hundreds and thousands of
network elements that must be monitored and managed. Performance across all layers of the
network deteriorates.

3. Signaling growth challenges
Networks have to be agile and robust to manage the explosion in signaling traffic that is mainly
driven by huge growth in data-driven devices and applications. There are “always-on” devices
that typically automatically attach to the network. Then there are the applications themselves.
Unlike feature phones with limited use of data services, smartphones and tablets use an ever
increasing number of applications, each of which produces varying amounts of signaling traffic.
As application usage grows, signaling traffic increases exponentially.
Why is SDN the solution?
Network Providers can no longer keep up with the required network growth rate and the
overwhelming data deluge by doing the same thing, only faster. No amount of resources and
hardware will solve this issue in a timely, cost-effective manner. This requires a new way of
managing networks; software defined networking (SDN) to automate the process and gain
efficiencies to reduce costs and increase revenues by identifying major users and inviting them
to participate in the network costs.
What is SDN?
SDN converges the management of network and application services into a centralized,
extensible orchestration platform that can automate the provisioning and configuration of the
entire infrastructure. Common centralized IT policies bring together disparate IT groups and
workflows. The result is a modern infrastructure that can deliver new applications and services
in minutes, rather than days or weeks as required in the past.
SDN delivers speed and agility when deploying new applications and business services.
Flexibility, policy, and programmability are the hallmarks of Cirries SDN solutions, with a
platform capable of handling the most demanding networking need of today and tomorrow.
The Solution - How do you do it?
SDN provides the architecture to centralize network intelligence. OpenFlow is the protocol that
enables centralized network OA&M and control of network routers and routing schemes.
NetFlow is the protocol that enables reporting of end-to-end IP flows. Combining NetFlow and
OpenFlow with policy-driven analytics applications provides centralized, automated network
management

4. Step by Step
1. Capture and Control
1. Data capture is the starting point. Deploy a Data Controller for collecting, aggregating
and parsing current real-time network and other data. The specifications you need as a
starting point is one million + transactions per second on a single server otherwise the costs
of deployment is prohibitive. You then filter and enhance your data to humanize it.
2. Visualize
2. Your Data Controller must be equipped with user programmable dashboards so that
you can visualize and understand your network data in real-time.
Visualize
• Dashboards

5. 3. Monetize
3. Now you are ready to reap the benefits from knowing your network data. Analyze trends,
plan for efficient growth and adjust your network elements to increase network efficiency
and resolving issues quickly.
4. Transition to SDN
4. Now you can gradually transition to SDN. Deploy a Network Controller to automate
network changes using policies that constantly evaluate and adapt the network to
requirements. This Controller must be agnostic to equipment manufacturer and sub-
network boundaries.
Monetize
• Reduce CAPEX
• Reduce OPEX
• Enhance

6. 5. Deploy virtual network elements that can be automatically placed in and out of the network
where and when needed.
6. Deploy a Master Controller (Controller of Controllers) to maintain a logical network
image, compute optimized router per demand and provide rules/policies to controllers
Enable analytics using OpenFlow and NetFlow
Centralized Control of the Network

7. Now what?
7. Continuously evaluate and hone your network policies to increase efficiency
8. Implement a charging policy based on usage. Once customers are made aware of the data,
they will be receptive to user-pay charges.
So what?
What’s really driving SDN is that it enables dynamic response times, so businesses can quickly
adapt to meet rapidly changing requirements. Companies that adapt a strategy to transition
to SDN will be the ones that succeed in the long term.
The longer you wait, the more your competition will grab market share as depicted above.
roger.boivin@cirries.com