Binesh George (left), and Wesley van Rayne, Redvine

The software-defined networking (SDN) market is on track to reach $72 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of nearly 28%. Its momentum is driven by improved control over network infrastructure with more visibility, agility and scale. However, as Forrester points out, the promises made by SDN remain largely unmet by many organisations. There’s been hype, but there’s also been too much complexity. The technology demands extensive resources, can be challenging to implement within legacy architectures, and the benefits are often lost in the confusion.

SDN uses software controllers or APIs to connect with hardware and direct data on a network. On a traditional network, hardware such as routers and switches control the traffic.