In our 40-criteria evaluation of data center hardware platforms for software-defined networking (SDN), we identified the nine most significant players — Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Arista Networks, Extreme Networks (which recently acquired Brocade Communications System’s data center networking business), Cisco Systems, Cumulus Networks, Dell, Huawei, Juniper Networks, and Pluribus Networks — and researched, analyzed, and scored them. This report shows how each provider measures up and helps infrastructure and operations professionals (I&O) make the right choice.