A Software Defined Area Network (SD-WAN) is a virtual WAN (Wide Area Network) architecture that virtualizes an organization’s network to provide acceleration on information delivery, performance, and availability while connecting enterprise networks over large geographical distances.
Telecommuting is more present than ever, and data indicates that remote working models are here to stay. Virtual work brings organizations a lot of value such as, flexibility, and reduced costs. However, everything has a downside. When businesses lean towards remote working, an organization’s network could be at greater risk. Remote work or not, organizations must protect themselves against cyber threats. Thankfully, there are tools like SD-WAN that help business owners to keep their assets protected.
What is SD-WAN for?
SD-WAN utilizes “links” like MLPS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching), VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), and the internet to remotely access corporate resources. Besides granting access to telecommuters, it also monitors network traffic and performance allowing its users to work smoothly even when working remotely. This network uses software to allow network administrators to manage an entire network quickly and easily as well. With traditional networking like MPLS traffic on the network can be “backhauled” causing a decrease in performance affecting overall productivity and user experience. SD-WAN is built to manage multiple types of connections like MPLS, broadband, and LTE, as well as support applications, private clouds, and SaaS (Software as Service) services. SD-WAN routes traffic in real time without causing backhauling, safety issues, or slowing down processes.
How does SD-WAN work?
The first type, traditional WAN, relies on physical hardware to connect users to applications on hosted data. Each router has a data plane that holds the information in a control plane that then sends data followed by a set of rules that are determined by the network administrator. Each rule should be implemented or changed manually for each router in the network, resulting in a time-consuming task for the IT Team.
What about VPNs?
VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) grant their users a secure private connection to an organization’s network. Compared to VPNs, SD-WAN is a cheaper and more reliable option for large or multisite organizations. SD-WAN offers features that VPNs do not, like QoS (Quality of Service) and application routing.
Benefits of SD-WAN:
Easily scalable: Manage all your configurations and policies in one place.
Enhanced Analytics: Gain access to real-time data to make decisions, look at the network performance, obtain insights, and more.
Increased security: Our SD-WAN utilizes SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) to provide organizations with state-of-the-art connectivity and protection from anywhere at any time.
Optimized performance: Maintain the highest level of performance, even when problems occur in the network.
Multi-cloud access: Connect branches and telecommuters to multi-cloud applications with unified visibility and management.
SD-WAN is the future of networking, and businesses that update their infrastructure will reap multiple benefits. If you are considering upgrading your network or implementing a remote working model, SD-WAN may be the solution for you. Contact us today at 562-298-5000 to find out more about how SD-WAN can benefit your business!
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