ABSTRACT
During coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), there was a demand for high data throughput and connectivity from higher education institutions. The Covid-19 pandemic has in fact exposed some of these institutions when it comes to high-speed connectivity. This chapter proposes a model for deploying a software defined network (SDN), which helps to increase productivity and reduces the cost. It discusses the existing work and brief history of the open systems interconnection model and its layers. The chapter presents a new SDN architecture and its benefits through three layers, namely application, control and data. The SDN is a network where control and data planes are decoupled and programmable through a software running on top of the network operating system on the controller. The SDN works very well with cloud networking and artificial intelligence networks. It is the future of secured and reliable communication networks. © ISTE Ltd 2022.