Towards a Scalable Security Framework for Enterprise Software-Defined Networks

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a rapidly growing technology that is enabling innovation on how network systems are designed and managed. Like any other technology, SDN is susceptible to numerous security threats. The separation of planes and centralized control topology of SDN makes it vulnerable to myriad of attacks. There has been rapid implementation of SDN in variety of networks. However, the security of SDN topology in different deployments and security specifications for these networks falls short. There is only a handful of resources for enterprise networks that are actively transitioning their networks to SDN and require security specification. This research focuses on proposing and implementing a security framework that integrates the basic network security requirements. Furthermore, this research identifies major security vulnerabilities through security assessment and implements the security mechanisms to mitigate them. It also studies the effectiveness of the security framework in improving the overall security posture of the SDN environment. Overall, this research offers viable security mechanisms for enterprise networks looking for performance and cost-effective security solutions