The software-defined data center in the enterprise.

Software-defined data center services are said to be changing the IT landscape and building more automated capabilities in the future. These virtualized data centers have spurred as the technologies of tomorrow, which will completely transform the data center architecture.

Virtualization has revolutionized the server management as it makes one machine work as many. It results into optimized and efficient computing. It is the best way for data centers to build high-value IT outcomes. Software-defined data centers (SDDC) are the result of growth and evolution of this virtualization technology. SDDC are the future of data centers that will combine the traditional computing applications with the modern cloud computing.

SDDC will virtualize all the infrastructure including network, storage, processors and security. Together they will be offered as one service. Unlike traditional data center solutions, where the infrastructure and equipment are hardware oriented, these SDDCs are fully software-controlled. There will be best-of-breed technologies and intelligent software systems to control and automate the whole data center.

The term ‘Software defined data center’ was coined at the annual virtualization conference in VMworld 2012 for the first time, by VMware. Since then, the concept has gained much popularity. IT engineers across the world have even started working towards this fully automated software controlled data centers. VMware is soon to come up with a comprehensive data center automation suite. Apart from VMware, many other IT companies too have started getting into the competition for gold rush of SDDC. They have started developing automation capabilities in their infrastructure. Oracle and Microsoft are planning to follow the suit very soon.

Software defined data centers will integrate the capabilities of storage, network and security together, so as to control and operate everything through a single console. SDDCs are based on three types of virtualization- Server virtualization, Storage Virtualization and network Virtualization. 

Storage Virtualization: In fact, storage is already software-defined, through cloud computing.

Network Virtualization: Networking infrastructure too has software layers, which can be improved and become fully software-oriented.

Server Virtualization: Servers require addition of improved management capabilities.

Workloads at organizations are multiplying, so the CTOs are looking for solutions to simplify the jobs, which ironically, is making the technology more and more complex. To balance such workloads, organizations are bound to hire staff and experts. But software defined data centers will cut all those costs by automation of infrastructure in IT departments, thereby making data center services inexpensive.

SDDC is definitely going to transform the way data centers function. However, many experts are of opinion that organizations are not yet ready for such a huge transformation but still they suggest to keep a watch on the trends.