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Increasing agility and automation in the data center to optimize application delivery requires a complete, end-to-end, coordinated virtual infrastructure.

This infrastructure will allow applications and the physical network to collaborate, thereby providing a high quality experience for users and enabling optimization of resources.

The ideal solution should follow a Software Defined Networking (SDN) approach.

This will allow it to bridge the gap between the network world and the newly virtualized compute world by defining a framework that uses standardized interfaces between applications and networks.

Likewise, it should be flexible enough to leverage multiple methods, including OpenFlow, to provide direct access to all virtual and physical objects in the data center and enable manipulation of the forwarding plane of physical and virtual network devices, such as switches and routers.

Outlook Series' Michael Lippis interviews Khurram Khawaja to gain Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise's perspective on Software Defined Networks.