Companies Want Better Security, Application Performance

Infonetics said the expectations for SDN in the data center are "clear." Businesses want better security, better application performance and simplified management, without causing network interruptions.

Vendors like Avaya are hoping to capitalize on simplifying the management of SDN. The company launched a new SDN Fx architecture released in late February saying it is the first to deliver "connect anything, anywhere" simplicity.

Many solution providers predicted at the start of 2015 that this year would be the breakout year for SDN and it appears the Infonetics report confirms their predictions.