Trends Report

Three Forcing Functions That Will Extend Your Data Center's Network Services Beyond Its Walls

Combining Network LAN, WAN, And Layer 4 To Layer 7 Services Into A Horizontally And Vertically Integrated Business Platform

June 9th, 2014
Andre Kindness, Principal Analyst
Andre Kindness Principal Analyst
With contributors:
Andrew Hewitt , Christopher Voce , Katherine Williamson

Summary

Five years after introducing network fabrics, the networking industry has hit the reset button. Vendors haven't come any closer to helping customers build networks that can instantly mesh users, data, and applications — a critical capability in a world moving toward mobility and cloud. As a result, the industry has turned its attention to software-defined networking (SDN) as the key ingredient of an infrastructure that is standardized, automated, self-service, and multitenant. But simply deploying an SDN solution to help create a private cloud within a data center should not be the goal; businesses must be able to create a private cloud that extends to all data centers, seamlessly incorporates cloud services, and connects users with the best business tools. This report profiles three forcing functions that will help infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders meet these imperatives and shape a next-generation network that supports the innovation that businesses need.

Want to read the full report?

Contact us to become a client

This report is available for individual purchase ($1495).

Forrester helps business and technology leaders use customer obsession to accelerate growth. That means empowering you to put the customer at the center of everything you do: your leadership strategy, and operations. Becoming a customer-obsessed organization requires change — it requires being bold. We give business and technology leaders the confidence to put bold into action, shaping and guiding how to navigate today's unprecedented change in order to succeed.