Towards a Cost-Effective SDN-Enabled on-Demand Security Services Framework

Traditional security methods are inadequate in the fast-changing cloud computing ecosystem, where complex networks and advancing cyber threats pose significant challenges for safeguarding digital assets. To address these challenges, organizations increasingly rely on on-demand cloud security services, with the emergence of software-defined networking (SDN) as a promising solution to enhance security in this dynamic landscape. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel framework for achieving cost-effective on-demand security services within SDN environments, and network functions virtualization technologies emphasizing cost-effectiveness and flexibility. The proposed framework leverages the integral programmability of SDN to dynamically allocate and scale security resources in proffer organizations with on-demand security services that correspond to their needs. By employing a network slicing approach in the framework, businesses can combine the finest features from automation, scalability, and flexibility of security services in some aspects of their operations, keeping the customization and control of on-premises operations. By efficiently allocating resources as needed by the users (organizations or businesses), it minimizes operational costs while maintaining robust protection. This contribution collectively helps organizations and businesses to better secure their cloud environments and respond effectively to evolving cybersecurity challenges.