German enterprises are turning to software-defined networking and other advanced network technologies as a way to reduce costs and quickly provide new services to customers, according to a new report published by Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.
The 2019 ISG Provider Lens Network – Software Defined Solutions and Services Report for Germany finds the use of SDN, SD-WAN, network function virtualisation (NFV) and related technologies in the German market growing rapidly. Still, SD networking technologies will not completely replace traditional networking solutions based on multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) and existing managed LAN and WAN services, the report says.
“The trend towards SDN-related technologies is driven by enterprises’ desire to seamlessly add network applications and resources to meet business and user goals more efficiently,” said Andrea Spiegelhoff, Partner, ISG DACH. “SDN helps German companies expand their networks efficiently and securely without creating siloes or depending on vendors.”
Enterprises are moving towards the SDN umbrella of technologies and services for several reasons, the report says. Many seek increased flexibility and agility to enable them to respond quickly to customer queries and provide new services, states the report. Enterprises also see SDN and NFV as a way to improve network efficiency while reducing usage costs. Using SDN-related tools, enterprises can route non-critical mobile data over lower-cost connections that may have reduced reliability or quality, the report notes.
Many providers of networking products and services are involved in SDN-related pilot projects and are regularly converting them to production-level deployments, says the report. Many networking vendors are embracing SDN products as a way to improve their positioning in the marketplace.
The report evaluates the capabilities of 59 providers across seven quadrants: Managed WAN Services; Mobile Network (4G/5G) Additional (non-core) Services; SDN Transformation Services (Consulting and Implementation); SD-WAN Equipment and Services (DIY); SDN Security Services; SD Network Technologies (Core); and SD Network Technologies (Mobile to Edge).
The report names IBM as a leader in six quadrants, while T-Systems and Vodafone are named leaders in five. Orange Business Services is a leader in four quadrants, Cisco a leader in three, and BT, Computacenter, NTT and QSC leaders in two. AT&T, Axians, Colt, Damovo, Fujitsu, GTT, Juniper, Riedel Networks, Symantec, T-Systems/Telekom Deutschland and Verizon are all leaders in one quadrant.
The 2019 ISG Provider Lens Network – Software Defined Solutions and Services Report for Germany is available to ISG Insights subscribers or for one-time purchase.
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