From Networking To Everything

If there is one technology which has created a lot of buzz in the IT world recently, then it has to be Software-Defined Everything (SDE). Many of us might be unaware of the technology as we are more familiar with Software Defined Networking (SDN) which is an attempt to designing, building and managing networks.

While Software-Defined Everything (SDE) moves one step beyond as compared to SDN and includes several systems controlled by advanced software programs and constructed in a virtual, versus physical and hardware space.

SDE can further be explained as several technologies coming under one roof. Like Software-Defined Networking (SDN) involves the making of virtualized networks, where physical hardware is replaced by a sophisticated software system. A Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) utilises virtualization concept to create a data center and Software-Defined Storage (SDS) involves replacing a distributed hardware system with virtual storage systems.

With SDE, the enterprises can virtualize not only servers but network switches, storage, and more. The benefit is ultimately more efficiency, speed, and flexibility. It also enable enterprises to allocate and deploy system resources quickly and easily through software. And add or move capabilities as needed, again through software.

It is an inclusive idea based on new applications of technology which has made it rank in the category of the ‘next big thing’ as SDE set up can be harnessed to provide fully virtualised IT systems. With the presence of tools like hypervisors, virtual machines (VM) and virtual storage media, the IT industry is inching closer to the SDE concept as a physical hardware footprint.

The IT industry is certainly moving towards a software-defined era and even though the reality of implementing an SDE infrastructure appears miles away as of now, but the kind of benefits and ease it packs in for the enterprises can definitely be not overlooked by organisations.