With the Nicira acquisition, the spotlight is on network virtualization. The Folsom release will introduce OpenStack’s networking component for the first time. And indeed, networking may turn out to be the most strategic component in OpenStack, and the key to realizing a vision of the software-defined data center. It’s a big opportunity and in addition to Nicira, there are many start-ups already tackling the challenges to network virtualization. This panel will include representatives from a few of these companies: Midokura, BigSwitch and 1-2 others, in a space that is quickly becoming more strategic to OpenStack success. Topics will include VMware’s acquisition of Nicira, estimated market opportunity for network virtualization (or SDN), realities of enterprise adoption, challenges to standard OpenStack networking (automation, scale, security etc.) and different technical approaches. The panel will conclude with predictions from the panel and an interactive Q&A with the audience.
