SDN? I Still Don’t kNow what it is…

Today you get to play the SDN Definition Game: match the definition of Software Defined Neworking with the person who said it at the Networking Field Day 11 Delegate Roundtable. I’d make this exercise “drag and drop” but that sounds a bit complicated, so instead you’re on your honor not to cheat. Click on the image to see the answers in a new window.
SDN, Whatever That Is
I should note that the quotes I used were taken from conversation, so if I mis-transcribed anything or used it too far out of context I apologize to the speaker concerned. In actual fact though, who said what in this case doesn’t really matter. I shared the quotes to demonstrate that even when defined by a group of smart people like these, there doesn’t seem to be one definition of SDN that everybody can agree on. That has opened the door for marketing departments everywhere to use the SDN tag on anything and everything (aka “SDN Washing”) in the hopes that it sounds impressive and thus presumably increases sales. As a result, many people – both vendors and customers – believe that SDN is becoming a four letter word.



Financial penalties seem more likely than an injunction, one analyst notes.