U.S. Enterprises Look to Software-Defined Networks to Enable Business Agility

ISG Provider Lens™ report sees U.S. companies looking to adopt SDN in response to remote working and other demands

U.S. enterprises are looking to software-defined networking providers to help them increase their agility and flexibility and enable remote working after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2021 ISG Provider Lens™ Network – Software Defined Solutions and Services Report for the U.S. finds U.S. enterprises embracing SDN and related technologies to increase their competitiveness, improve employee collaboration and deliver better mobile services to customers.

“U.S. enterprises are looking at ways they can achieve flexibility, speed and additional collaboration to deliver benefits to themselves and their ever-more-mobile customers and users,” said Dieter Thompson, president, ISG Networking Solutions. “Enterprise agility goes far beyond traditional network capabilities, and SDN can help companies adapt to a constantly changing business environment.”

SDN technologies should be deployed along with cloud services, intelligent edge and mobility strategies and other technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, the report recommends.

The report sees increased network flexibility and agility as one of the driving factors in SDN adoption among U.S. enterprises. They are increasingly focused on using SDN technologies to improve the integration, automation, orchestration and management of network resources and processes. Enterprises want to seamlessly add applications and network resources to meet business and user needs.

In addition, U.S. enterprises see SDN-related technologies as a way to migrate their IT and network operations to the cloud, the report says. Software-defined networks can assist with the move by reducing complexity and mitigating risk.

Moving to SDN technologies also helps improve network security by enabling security-as-a-service and enhanced do-it-yourself security services, the report says. SDN will also enable enterprises to deploy integrated secure enterprise networks in the near future.

SDN technologies also can help enterprises improve network usage efficiency while reducing usage costs, the report notes. This is particularly helpful as enterprises are seeing an explosion of data usage from mobile devices, often in areas that are not business critical. This traffic can be routed over lower-cost connections at reduced reliability and quality levels.

SDN can also increase customer satisfaction and boost sales, the report says. U.S. enterprises are using SDN to respond quickly and seamlessly to customer requests and rapidly provide new services, often through automate provisioning.

In addition, many U.S. enterprises see SDN technologies as a key step toward adoption of new technologies such as intent-based networks, artificial intelligence, rapid hot spot provisioning, and self-healing networks, the report says. Many new technologies require the flexibility of software-defined networks to be used to their full potential.

To realize the full benefits of SDN, many organizations need to not only adopt new technologies, but also transform their processes and management practices, the report notes. Many providers can help enterprises with this change in business processes.

The 2021 ISG Provider Lens™ Network – Software Defined Solutions and Services Report for the U.S. evaluates the capabilities of 59 providers across six quadrants: Managed (SD) WAN Services, SDN Transformation Services (Consulting and Implementation), SD-WAN Equipment and Service Suppliers (DIY), Technology and Service Suppliers (core – 4G/5G), Edge Technology and Services and Enterprise 5G Solutions.

The report names AT&T and Verizon as leaders in all six quadrants and Apcela and Orange Business Services as leaders in five quadrants. IBM is named as a leader in four quadrants, and Juniper Networks and Wipro are named leaders in three quadrants. The report names Cisco, HPE Aruba, Lumen and T-Mobile as leaders in two quadrants and Cato Networks, Ericsson, Extreme Networks, GTT, HCL, Masergy, Nokia Networks, NTT and VMware as leaders in one quadrant.

In addition, Microland and Wipro were named Rising Stars—companies with “promising portfolios” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition—in three quadrants each.

Customized versions of the report are available from Apcela and Microland.

The 2021 ISG Provider Lens™ Network – Software Defined Solutions and Services Report for the U.S. is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.

About ISG Provider Lens™ Research

The ISG Provider Lens™ Quadrant research series is the only service provider evaluation of its kind to combine empirical, data-driven research and market analysis with the real-world experience and observations of ISG's global advisory team. Enterprises will find a wealth of detailed data and market analysis to help guide their selection of appropriate sourcing partners, while ISG advisors use the reports to validate their own market knowledge and make recommendations to ISG's enterprise clients. The research currently covers providers offering their services globally, across Europe, as well as in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., France, the Nordics, Brazil and Australia/New Zealand, with additional markets to be added in the future. For more information about ISG Provider Lens research, please visit this webpage.

A companion research series, the ISG Provider Lens Archetype reports, offer a first-of-its-kind evaluation of providers from the perspective of specific buyer types.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

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