(Telecompaper) HP has launched the HP SDN App Store, which it said will start a new wave of open, software-defined networking (SDN) innovation for customers and partners. The HP SDN App Store will provide HP ecosystem partners with a go-to-market platform as well as consulting and support services that will enable customers to uncover the business value of SDN. HP noted an IDC study that said the market for SDN network applications will reach USD 1.1 billion by 2017, increasing the need for a scalable open marketplace to monetise innovations. The Store will offer four different categories of applications, defined by their support and test process. The HP Circle will have applications built and tested exclusively by HP. The Premium Circle will contain applications that are top sellers and jointly tested by HP and its partners. The Partner Circle will include applications that have been self-tested by HP partners and reviewed by HP. Finally, the Community Circle will offer open-access and community-supported applications to demonstrate open source and concept SDN applications. As part of the launch, HP is introducing six partner applications, in addition to two applications developed by HP, namely, the BlueCat DNS Director, the Ecode evolve, the F5 BIG DDoS Umbrella, the GuardiCore Defense Suite, the KEMP Adaptive Load Balancer Application, the Real Status Hyperglance, the HP Network Protector, and the HP Network Optimizer. HP will demonstrate its SDN App Store and available applications at Interop in New York, from 29 September to 3 October. The Store will be generally available on 1 October.