Application-Defined Networking

Like other types of intelligent networking setups, application-defined networking relies on something called software-defined networking (SDN). In software-defined networking, certain types of network control are taken from a hardware environment and implemented through software. In this environment, programmers use application programming interfaces (APIs) to manage an intelligent connection between an application and a network, and set up applications to determine their own access to resources within the network’s capacity.

A basic way to think about application-defined networking is that individual software applications ask for resources or provide their own input on application topology, data flows, latency, throughput and other factors. With this information, the network can ensure that the right resources are allocated to the right programs at the appropriate times to help encourage more efficient functionality and a more capable IT architecture. Application-defined networking (ADN) tools can be applied to virtual networks or merged with machine-to-machine setups to allow better distributed resources for robotic equipment or other types of multi-machine connections. The many potential applications of application-defined networking are leading to a vibrant discussion on how this kind of intelligent networking can apply in many areas of enterprise technology, including manufacturing and other kinds of automated business processes.