Posted by Sydney, Australia: Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is now the unstoppable backbone of enterprise agility in Asia Pacific. With AI and cloud workloads skyrocketing, companies are scrambling to adopt SDN solutions that deliver speed, security, and seamless digital transformation — according to a new ISG report.
SDN becomes backbone of enterprise agility
The ISG Provider Lens report highlights how SDN is enabling faster, more cost-effective network provisioning for companies undergoing digital transformation. As public and private cloud adoption surges across the region, SDN is becoming essential to modern enterprise infrastructure.
“We expect digital transformation to keep accelerating in Asia Pacific as organisations move more workloads to public and private clouds,” said Michael Gale, Partner and Regional Leader, ISG Asia Pacific. “The shift to software-defined technologies continues across all areas of networking, leading toward more automated — and eventually autonomous — networks.”
With AI workloads demanding low-latency and high-bandwidth connections, enterprises are rethinking their network strategies. AI and machine learning are being integrated into SDN architectures to automate traffic management, reduce manual errors, and improve overall network observability and performance.
The report notes that remote work and supply chain diversification, especially in India and Southeast Asia, are further fueling demand for SDN. Enterprises require seamless, secure connectivity across geographically dispersed teams and cloud environments. SDN’s flexibility allows for optimised routing, real-time adaptation, and application-level visibility—making it a vital enabler of digital business operations.
Security remains a top concern in the region. According to ISG, 75% of global enterprises operating in Asia Pacific ranked network security as their primary infrastructure challenge in 2024. This has driven increased adoption of SD-WAN integrated with Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), a model that unifies networking and security in the cloud and supports hybrid, distributed environments.
“Companies need new strategies and tools to ensure both connectivity and security across diverse cloud environments,” said Yash Jethani, Principal Analyst – ISG and lead author of the report. “Partnerships with providers that offer expertise in AI, cloud and networking will be crucial.”
The report also points to growing SDN adoption among small and mid-sized businesses and the role of 5G networks in further enhancing software-defined infrastructure across Asia Pacific.