  Enterprise Networks, over the years, have become more and more complex trying
to keep up with new requirements that challenge traditional solutions. Just to
mention one out of many possible examples, technologies such as Virtual LANs
(VLANs) struggle to address the scalability and operational requirements
introduced by Internet of Things (IoT) use cases. To keep up with these
challenges we have identified four main requirements that are common across
modern enterprise networks: (i) scalable mobility, (ii) endpoint segmentation,
(iii) simplified administration, and (iv) resource optimization. To address
these challenges we designed SDA (Software Defined Access), a solution for
modern enterprise networks that leverages Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and
other state of the art techniques. In this paper we present the design,
implementation and evaluation of SDA. Specifically, SDA: (i) leverages a
combination of an overlay approach with an event-driven protocol (LISP) to
dynamically adapt to traffic and mobility patterns while preserving resources,
and (ii) enforces dynamic endpoint groups for scalable segmentation with low
operational burden. We present our experience with deploying SDA in two
real-life scenarios: an enterprise campus, and a large warehouse with mobile
robots. Our evaluation shows that SDA, when compared with traditional
enterprise networks, can (i) reduce overall data plane forwarding state up to
70% thanks to a reactive protocol using a centralized routing server, and (ii)
reduce by an order of magnitude the handover delays in scenarios of massive
mobility with respect to other approaches. Finally, we discuss lessons learned
while deploying and operating SDA, and possible optimizations regarding the use
of an event-driven protocol and group-based segmentation.
