Ethernet fabrics an essential network evolution

DUBAI, UAE: Growth in data center investments driven by the increasing popularity and need for 10 Gigabit and 40 Gigabit ethernet networks recently led to record sales of enternet switches in the Middle East.

According to IDC, during Q3' 2013, Ethernet switch sales in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region saw an almost 23 percent year-on-year increase - much above the global average which was a healthy 6.5 percent. This is encouraging news but to a large number of organizations, ethernet fabrics remain a poorly understood concept rather than a platform for innovation.

Client-server apps, web services, unified communications, virtual machines and the backup of traffic in virtualized storage environments are just a few of the many applications that rely on the smooth functioning of the data center network.

Private and hybrid cloud infrastructures too are making powerful and scalable networks essential. And with software-defined networking set to move from concept to deployment, a new set of challenges await network operators.

Samer Ismair, MEMA Network Consultant, Brocade Communications warns that the traditional networks that enterprises in the Middle East are using has been stretched to its limits and can no longer offer companies performance, availability, security and the mobility they require.

Today's tools for system management and orchestration are complex and need to be tailored to a large extent on the individual needs of a company. Because of this, they are expensive and difficult to use. Overcoming these challenges requires the underlying infrastructure to be changed and focus must now move from the management of ‘physical ports' to the management of ‘flows'.

The network must be simple to set up, operate and above all, it must be scalable, flexible, robust and capable of managing virtual machines.