Software defined networking is the correct answer.

Software defined networking separates the control plane from the forwarding devices by centralizing decision making in a controller that programs forwarding rules. In this model the controller makes decisions about where traffic is inspected or routed while the network devices act as packet forwarders based on the controller provided policies.

This separation makes the network more programmable and it simplifies deployment of consistent routing and inspection policies across many devices because the controller can update forwarding behavior centrally.

Cloud VPN is incorrect because it describes an encrypted tunnel service for connecting networks and not an architectural model that separates control logic from packet forwarding. It provides secure connectivity rather than centralizing the control plane.

Storage area network is incorrect because a SAN is a specialized network for storage traffic and it does not separate control and data planes for general packet forwarding. SANs focus on storage access and management rather than centralized routing or inspection control.

Virtual LAN is incorrect because a VLAN is a method to segment Layer 2 networks and it does not inherently separate the control plane from the forwarding plane. VLAN configuration is applied on devices and it does not by itself provide a central controller that decides where traffic is inspected or routed.

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