Software-Defined Infrastructure

Data centers today are general characterized by complex, static physical configurations, incomplete virtualization efforts, and multiple silos of management, according to the analyst firm. The software-defined data center will make use of better virtualization management tools, software-defined networks and converged infrastructure stacks.

Software-defined infrastructure will leverage "abstracted hardware controlled by powerful software" to help businesses create flexible, agile data centers that can rapidly adapt to changing needs, Forrester said.