A software defined network or SDN is a method of network management. It uses dynamic network configurations to improve performance that is independent from physical infrastructure. It’s similar to how cloud computing has separated data storage and hosting from traditional servers and hardware. In our UpCloud SND Private review, we’ll take a look at how UpCloud’s SND plan may be right for your project and what benefits it provides.
Pros
- UpCloud has near 100% uptime.
- It’s easy to create new private networks and configure them.
- You can connect to your private networks from anywhere you can get an internet connection.
- UpCloud operates data centers around the world.
- Their plans are all very flexible.
Cons
- Costs can quickly get out of hand for large projects.
- You do have to pay for both cloud server space and for each private network you have.
- UpCloud customer service has not always been the best.
- Setting up an SND private network does require knowledge of networks, so it’s not for everyone.
UpCloud SND Private Plan Review & Analysis
Understanding what an SDN private network is requires more than a passing knowledge of web hosting. UpCloud builds these networks on top of cloud servers, so you do need to purchase both server space and a the additional SDN tool. However, UpCloud does make it easier to control your budget. Your SDN private network costs remain the same regardless of traffic or number of servers, so your budget can easily accommodate at least one private network.
Who This Hosting Plan is For
- A business with many satellite offices that needs to be able to control all elements of their network from one place.
- Projects that need to be scaled up and down or have resources moved as needed.
- Cloud networks that need to be very secure.
- Companies with limited space for hardware that need to share physical resources.
Who This Hosting Plan is Not For
- Newcomers to cloud computing and those who aren’t familiar with networking.
- Any project that requires little to no latency between servers.
- Network administrators who need to manage hardware directly rather than virtually through the SDN.
Bottom Line
UpCloud’s SDN networking option can be very useful for a number of projects. However, it’s important to realize it’s not web hosting. This means you will need to also purchase UpCloud server space. You’ll also need to factor in the cost of the private network into your budget. This certainly isn’t an add-on that everyone needs, though, so be sure you fully understand the benefits of SDN before you buy it. If you simply need basic web hosting, look at hostgator snappy VPS hosting or an alternative. You don’t need the additional resources (and costs) that come with cloud computing.
UpCloud SDN Cloud Networking Features
- Private networks
- Floating IPs
- Utility network
SDN Benefits
- What is software-defined networking
- Configure custom private networks
- Isolate network environments utilising firewalls
- Connect to your UpCloud networks over VPN
- Benefits of software-defined networking
- Availability
- Define own private IP addressing schemes
- Unlimited real production-grade private networks
UpCloud Cloud Networking Prices
What Is Software Defined Networking?
Software Defined Networking is a somewhat new way of managing applications and cloud resources. Network administrators can use the SDN to quickly deploy applications to servers in the network, manage the resources shared among the cloud, and more from one central control panel. SDNs have become popular because it’s much easier to maintain a network, especially one with physical hardware that is spread among different offices in different locations. An SDN shifts everything to a more virtual infrastructure instead of the traditional physical one.
SDNs no longer require organizations to manage physical routers or switches. Instead, everything is handled by software virtually. Everything, including Network cloud security, is virtualized. Resources can be assigned and reassigned as needed, regardless of where they are physically located.
Advantages of SDN
Software defined networking comes with a number of benefits. Everything is done using a single software application. You can easily scale your network as needed by moving resources around and provisioning additional resources. In fact, your entire network’s infrastructure can be changed as needed. Your network is also much more secure from external attacks and threats. Because it’s fairly new technology, software defined networking is also growing and changing rapidly. It’s likely that some of its current disadvantages, such as its high latency issues, will be dealt with in the future.
Should You Use UpCloud for Your Cloud Computing Needs?
Now that you have a basic understanding of what an SDN is, the next question to ask is if UpCloud’s cloud computing is right for you. If it’s not, you won’t need to pursue the question of whether or not you need their SDN. UpCloud’s servers aren’t designed for basic web hosting. For that, you may want to consider using Hostinger VPS hosting. Instead, these servers are ideal for tasks that require speed and flexibility. For example, they are ideal for bitcoin processing. They are also a good choice for projects that require video streaming or sharing large amounts of data. The servers are able to handle transferring large files to many users at once without much latency or other issues.
Another benefit to UpCloud’s cloud servers is that they are highly flexible. It’s possible to increase or reduce the number of servers you have at any given time. These servers can also be moved in and out of your private network as needed. Since UpCloud doesn’t have a limit on how many servers can be in one of their private networks, there’s no worry about adding too many and increasing your SDN costs.
The Downsides of UpCloud Cloud Networking
One of the downsides of using UpCloud’s cloud networking is that it does require you to understand the cloud and how private networks work. You will need to do much of the configuration of your servers yourself. You will also need someone who understands cloud security to handle that aspect of your network.
UpCloud also has competitors, and these other companies are stronger than UpCloud in some ways. For example, Digital Ocean makes it very easy to add new servers, though they’re weaker in security. Linode, another competitor, has more automated features and backup options. However, UpCloud has newer hardware, so their servers are a little faster. You’ll need to be sure you carefully consider your needs before selecting a hosting company. In addition to your cloud server needs, be sure to keep in mind what UpCloud’s SDN offers.
Review UpCloud SDN Private (Cloud Networking) Review.