IBM Networking Services for Software Defined Networks vs. VMware NSX

As service providers in Information technology, IBM Networking Services for Software Defined Networks has been of priceless value in management of virtual networks. It is crucial to improve our flexibility in administration of networks regardless of the usage bandwidth whether around the company or on our clients' networks. If you are looking to improve agility and configuration of your networks, then IBM would be the best SDN for that.

Incentivized

Our high-security environments require end to end encryption, but also tend to have larger budgets. Since beginning utilization of VMware NSX, we've been able to meet the unique requirements for our high-security clients, but it does have a large price tag that goes along with it. This isn't a particularly well-suited solution for environments with tighter budgets, but it definitely provides security where we need it and are willing to pay for this solution

Incentivized

• Improved security of virtual machines with SDN central control.
• Flexible in adjusting network configuration.

Incentivized

• Broadcast Suppression: By suppressing broadcast traffic, we have been able to deploy a single VDI network in a /18 network space, allowing for rapid growth and proper DHCP lease timing for a VDI instant clone environment.
• Networking HA: Leveraging internal mechanisms for high availability, it provides disaster resiliency to a virtual networking environment.
• Cost Savings: All available features of NSX are licensed simultaneously. Load balancers, firewalls, and routers are all licensed as features, not per object, allowing for the deployment of as many of these objects as are needed.

Incentivized

• Low performance while managing overlay Model SDN.
• The SDN controller is always vulnerable to attacks, but its only natural considering it is a potential single point of failure. We have to pay more for a SOAR to improve security.

Incentivized

• Our biggest challenge is gaining acceptance from network engineers who are used to working with other technologies.

Incentivized

IBM is a company that has a lot of experience in networking services, in addition to having a better integration with other products of the same brand, for this reason we use IBM Networking Services

Incentivized

We use both Cisco ACI and VMware NSX, and while they have different strengths and capabilities, I would recommend VMware NSX, as it can be used in all VMware environments, without costly physical infrastructure changes. Cisco ACI provides some of the same capabilities, but not all. It's focus relies on physical networking changes.

Incentivized

• Amazing control over security. Policies are set from a central place that determines access control and security across the network.
• Managing networks is much easier through direct programming.

• Easy to manage networking and security
• Better visibility into the environments

Incentivized