Software defined networking (SDN) has made it possible for environments like Microsoft Azure, which operates in data centers across the globe, to perform tens of thousands of network changes every day. SDN provides a way to centrally configure and manage networks and network services, such as switching, routing, and load balancing in a data center. SDN can dynamically create, secure, and connect the network to meet the evolving needs of applications.

Virtual network elements such as Hyper-V Virtual Switch, Hyper-V Network Virtualization, Software Load Balancing, and RAS Gateway are integral elements of the SDN infrastructure. Existing SDN-compatible devices achieve deeper integration between workloads running in virtual networks and the physical network.