What is SD_WAN?
Software Defined WAN (SD-WAN) is a network management tool or set of tools offering a transformational approach to designing and deploying an enterprise ‘wide area network’ (WAN). By utilising multiple connectivity streams and rules to determine the most efficient way to route data traffic to remote locations, branch offices and Data centres, the solution will intelligently adapt to changing environments in real-time enhancing the efficiency of the network.
Through a series of processes and artificial intelligence SD-WAN allows customers to manage the performance of individual applications utilising all of the resources (network capacity) available.
An SD-WAN solution is by design, separate from the underlying infrastructure layer, this means that customers may choose a network from one or multiple suppliers but manage them via a third-party application (SD-WAN Application).
Advantages of SD-WAN
Below we have listed some of the main benefits of an SD-WAN solution. This is by no means definitive but show’s why SD-WAN is such a hot topic in the industry right now.
Application Performance Management – Prioritise applications, route Cloud traffic direct to the Internet, real-time bandwidth management.
Increased Resilience – For sites with more than a single connection, in the event of a single circuit failover, traffic can be managed and routed through alternative destinations easily and with no I.T. involvement.
Application Visibility – The solution provides deep application visibility with the ability to manage all business applications which cross the network.
Dynamic Path Control – The solution dynamically monitors performance of each connection and based on loss, latency, jitter and throughput allocates the best route for traffic.
Circuit Bonding – The ability to bond circuit types together, creating a virtual high capacity circuit.
Agnostic Network Layer – SD-WAN solutions can work across multiple different network suppliers.
Potential to Reduce Costs – In theory, private circuits aren’t required, therefore costs may decrease.
Quick Provisioning – Provisioning of branch offices requires no technical expertise.
Scalability – Solutions can scale to thousands of sites from a single controller (Dependent on
manufacturer)
For more information on networking or for help with your migration to SD-WAN, please feel free to contact us for more information.