White Box Switching Enabled by Latest Silicon & Software

The latest switch silicon and software is enabling white box switches that, together with standard servers systems, are replacing dedicated network systems. These switch systems provide multi-terabit switching on a platform that can be customized by the network or data center operator with software-defined networking (SDN), OS and other software downloaded to the box. The white box switches are supplied by contract manufacturers, server vendors or established networking and telecom manufacturers and network integrators. This development is the latest phase in the shift from vertically integrated telecom systems and equipment manufacturers to a horizontal and virtualized market where service providers deploy cost-effective high-performance hardware and provision virtual functions and services using SDN and network functions virtualization (NFV).