Five benefits of network virtualization

Five benefits of network virtualization

New challenges and technologies such as virtualization are disrupting networks everywhere, with many businesses struggling to remain agile.

What is network virtualization?

Network virtualization is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software based administrative entity. Virtual networks are no longer something to consider in the future. According to research company IDC, close to 65% of all server tasks on earth are run by virtual servers.

Virtualization is growing in all industries, especially manufacturing. The global storage virtualization market will enjoy a compound annual growth rate of more than 24 percent from 2015 to 2019, according to Technaviosmarket research.

Types of network virtualization

There are 2 types of network virtualization:

• External network virtualization
• Internal network virtualization

What are the benefits of virtualization?

• Reduces the number of physical devices needed
• Allows to easily segment networks
• Permits rapid change / scalability and agile deployment
• Provides security from destruction of physical devices
• Allows failover mode – defective disk simply switches to a backup on the fly, and the failed component can be repaired, while the system continues to run

A little background on the benefits of virtualization, from a hardware perspective – virtualization allows more applications to be run on the same hardware, which translates into cost savings. If you buy less servers, you will incur less capital expenditures and maintenance costs.

Organizing your virtual network can be relatively easy, and immediately increase network efficiency. Find out what are the five network virtualization challenges and how to deal with them.

Examples of Network Virtualization

You can design your network so that your Local Area Networks (LANs) are subdivided into virtual networks and VLANs. Doing do will dramatically improve load balancing. You can also improve security by segmenting your network and establishing role and location-based permissions and procedures. Doing this in a virtual environment enables you to be agile and adapt your network architecture as needed to manage changing and increasing network loading and demand.

More about Securing Network Infrastructure

The virtualization in the factory

Why using network virtualization?

Greater visibility into networks is invaluable and allows for considerable CAPEX and OPEX savings and reduced downtime. Right now, OT networks tend to be a lot smaller than IT networks, but that is in the process of changing, especially with the looming shift to the Industrial Internet of Things.
When that happens, and there are industry pundits saying it will happen en masse sooner rather than later, the number of network connected devices is absolutely going to mushroom. So, most likely in two years, network monitoring will be as important in this industry as it already is in IT.

It seems pretty simple, a boost in visibility will allow everyone from engineers to C-level leaders to make informed decisions in the new era of manufacturing.

FAQs about benefits of network virtualization

What are the major benefits of using virtualization?

Virtualization offers benefits such as improved resource utilization, cost savings, efficient scalability, easier management, and the ability to create isolated environments for testing and development.

What is the main purpose of virtual network?

The main purpose of a virtual network is to enable the creation of logically isolated and independent networks within a shared physical network infrastructure. It provides flexibility, scalability, and efficient utilization of network resources.

What is an example of a virtual network?

An example of a virtual network is a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), where network devices are grouped logically based on factors like department, project, or function, even if they are physically connected to the same network.

What are the challenges of virtual networking?

Challenges in virtual networking include issues related to security and isolation, network performance, complexity in management, and the need for specialized skills to configure and maintain virtualized network environments.

The article was written by Frank Williams, CEO of  Statseeker, a global provider of innovative network monitoring solutions for the IT enterprise and OT industrial market space. Frank holds a BSEE, augmented by many post graduate courses in management, leadership and technology.