Overview of Network Softwarization and Its Core Techniques

Network softwarization helps operators deliver new services and deploys new functions more efficiently, so as to meet the needs of ever-increasing and diverse users. Many studies have shown that network softwarization revolutionizes the traditional network architecture and operation mode, and greatly improves network programmability. However, understanding network softwarization behaves a little difficult since it relates several main techniques, such as Software Defined Networking (SDN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Cloud Computing (CC). This article summarizes the implication of network softwarization, focusing on surveying three core techniques and the two main applications. The efforts made in this article aim to provide the academic and engineering investigations of network softwarization.