What are Managed SD-WAN Solutions?

SD-WANs simplify network connectivity across multiple locations. Managed SD-WANs outsource SD-WAN complexities to a third-party service provider (MSP).

Quick links:

What is SD-WAN?

Advantages of managed SD-WANs

Disadvantages of managed SD-WANs

Key components

How to choose

Future trends

We can help you choose the right managed SD-WAN solution for your needs and budget. Schedule a free consultation today.

What Is SD-WAN?

SD-WAN stands for software-defined wide area network. It uses software to control the network, separate from the actual hardware. This allows companies to manage their networks from a central location.

SD-WAN can combine different types of connections, such as MPLS, broadband, and cellular, into one network. It picks the best path for each application based on how the network is performing. This helps make sure the available bandwidth is used well and problems don’t disrupt things too much.

SD-WAN also includes built-in security, such as encryption and firewalls. This way your data is protected, as it goes over the public internet. It makes the network simpler by getting rid of the need for separate security devices.

Advantages of Managed SD-WAN

Managed SD-WAN solutions offer several key advantages over self-managed SD-WAN:

Simplified network management. Service providers handle the complexities of configuring, monitoring, and maintaining the SD-WAN infrastructure, freeing up internal IT resources.
Improved network security. Managed SD-WAN services often include built-in security features like next-generation firewalls, encryption, and threat detection. This protects your data across the network.
Increased agility and scalability. Managed SD-WAN solutions allow fast deployment of new sites and can easily scale up or down to accommodate your changing business requirements.
Cost optimization. With cost-effective broadband connections and reduced reliance on expensive MPLS circuits, managed SD-WAN helps you optimize network costs without sacrificing performance.
Centralized control and visibility. SD-WAN providers offer centralized management portals that give network administrators full visibility and control over the entire network. This simplifies troubleshooting and policy enforcement.
Flexibility and customization. Managed SD-WAN services can be tailored to meet your specific business needs, with different deployment options and value-added services available.
Expertise and support. Service providers bring deep expertise in SD-WAN technologies and offer comprehensive support, from initial design to ongoing management and troubleshooting.

Disadvantages of Managed SD-WANs

While managed SD-WAN solutions offer many benefits, there are also some disadvantages to consider:

Dependence on service providers. With SD-WAN management, you rely heavily on the service provider’s expertise, responsiveness, and quality of service. Any issues or delays on the provider’s end can impact your business.
Limited control and customization. Managed SD-WAN services may offer less granular control over network configurations and policies than in-house deployments, which could be a drawback if your organization has highly specific requirements.
Long-term contract commitments. Some managed SD-WAN providers may require long-term contracts and reduce flexibility if your business needs change or if the service fails to meet expectations.
Potential for vendor lock-in. Dependence on a single managed SD-WAN provider can make it difficult for you to switch providers or bring the solution in-house later on, potentially leading to vendor lock-in.
Higher costs than DIY SD-WAN. Managed SD-WAN may be more expensive than implementing and managing an SD-WAN solution in-house.
Security and compliance concerns. With your sensitive data entrusted to a third-party provider may raise security and compliance concerns, especially in heavily regulated industries.
Integration challenges. Integration of managed SD-WAN with existing network infrastructure and security solutions can be complex. It requires careful planning and coordination with the service provider.

Key Components of Managed SD-WAN

Managed SD-WAN solutions often include the following key components that work together to deliver advanced connectivity, security, and performance.

SD-WAN Edge Devices

SD-WAN edge devices are the physical or virtual appliances deployed at branch offices, remote locations, and data centers. These devices connect sites to the SD-WAN fabric and enable advanced features such as application-aware routing, dynamic path selection, and quality of service (QoS) enforcement.

Edge devices usually include multiple WAN interfaces to support different types of connectivity, such as MPLS, broadband, and LTE.

Centralized Orchestration and Management

Managed SD-WAN services provide a centralized control plane that allows network administrators to configure, monitor, and manage the entire SD-WAN infrastructure through a single pane of glass.

This centralized orchestration and management platform allows the creation and enforcement of network-wide policies. It also simplifies tasks, such as software updates, troubleshooting, and reporting.

Application-Aware Routing

SD-WAN solutions use application-aware routing to identify and prioritize different types of traffic based on application requirements. By deep packet inspection and other advanced traffic classification techniques, the SD-WAN platform can recognize applications and apply appropriate QoS policies.

This ensures that critical applications such as voice, video, and ERP systems receive the necessary bandwidth and performance, while less sensitive traffic is given lower priority.

Dynamic Path Selection

Dynamic path selection is an important feature of SD-WAN technology that enables intelligent routing of traffic across multiple WAN links. The SD-WAN solution continuously monitors the performance and availability of each link, taking into account factors like latency, jitter, and packet loss.

Based on real-time network conditions and application requirements, the SD-WAN platform automatically selects the best path for each traffic flow, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.

Integrated Security

Many managed SD-WAN solutions incorporate advanced security features to protect data and applications across the network. These features may include next-generation firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, secure web gateways, and encryption.

With the integration of security directly into the SD-WAN platform, you can reduce the complexity and cost of maintaining separate security appliances at each site.

Cloud Gateways and Interconnects

SD-WAN providers often have points of presence in major cloud regions and offer direct interconnects to popular cloud platforms (e.g. Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform).

These cloud gateways and interconnects enable optimized access to cloud-based applications, reduce latency, and improve performance. Some SD-WAN solutions also offer advanced features like cloud-based security, making it easier to secure cloud traffic.

Service Level Agreements

Managed SD-WAN services typically come with service level agreements (SLAs) that guarantee specific levels of uptime, performance, and support. These SLAs provide you with peace of mind as you know that the critical applications and services will be available and performing optimally.

SLAs may cover metrics such as network availability, packet delivery, latency, and mean time to repair.

Analytics and Reporting

SD-WAN management portals provide detailed analytics and reporting capabilities, giving network administrators valuable insights into application performance, network utilization, and potential issues.

These analytics tools can help identify trends, pinpoint bottlenecks, and optimize network performance over time. Detailed reporting also aids in capacity planning, troubleshooting, and demonstrating compliance with internal policies and external regulations.

How to Choose the Right Managed SD-WAN Provider

Here are some key factors to consider when choosing a managed SD-WAN provider:

Network expertise and experience. Look for a provider with deep expertise in SD-WAN technologies and a proven track record of successful implementations. Consider their experience in your industry vertical and with organizations of similar size and complexity.
Comprehensive service offerings. Evaluate the breadth and depth of the provider’s managed SD-WAN services, including design, deployment, monitoring, management, and optimization.
Flexibility and customization. Choose a provider that offers flexible and customizable SD-WAN solutions to meet your unique business needs. They should be able to support different deployment models, integrate with your existing infrastructure, and adapt to your future growth plans.
Technology partnerships and vendor neutrality. Consider providers that have strong partnerships with leading SD-WAN technology vendors, as this ensures access to the latest features and capabilities. But, also look for providers that maintain a degree of vendor neutrality to avoid lock-in and ensure the best-fit solution for your organization.
Robust security capabilities. Evaluate the provider’s security offerings, including integrated features such as next-generation firewalls, intrusion prevention, and encryption.
SLAs. Review the provider’s SLAs carefully to understand the guaranteed levels of uptime, performance, and support. Look for providers with strong SLAs that align with your business requirements.
Network visibility and analytics. Choose a provider that offers a comprehensive and user-friendly management portal with deep visibility into network and application performance. The portal should provide actionable insights and analytics to help optimize your network over time.
Support and professional services. Evaluate the provider’s support model, including the availability of 24/7 support, escalation processes, and technical expertise. Also, consider their professional services offerings, such as network design, migration planning, and ongoing optimization, to ensure a smooth transition and long-term success.
Pricing and total cost of ownership. Compare pricing models and understand the total cost of ownership across different providers. Look for transparent pricing with no hidden fees, and consider the long-term costs of the solution, including hardware, software, and support.

Future of Managed SD-WAN

As organizations continue to adopt SD-WAN technologies, the role of managed SD-WAN services will grow in the coming years. Here are some key trends shaping the future of managed SD-WAN.

Increased Automation and Orchestration

Managed SD-WAN providers are investing in advanced automation capabilities to streamline deployment, configuration, and ongoing network management. Intelligent orchestration platforms will enable self-healing networks and automated policy updates.

Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Integration

With the rise of hybrid and multi-cloud environments, managed SD-WAN services will need to integrate with different cloud platforms seamlessly. Providers will offer tighter coupling between SD-WAN and cloud connectivity to optimize application performance.

Enhanced Security and Compliance

Managed SD-WAN services will place a greater emphasis on built-in security features, such as integrated firewalls, content filtering, and threat detection. Providers will also ensure compliance with industry regulations through centralized policy management.

Unified Communication Integration

The convergence of SD-WAN and unified communications will drive managed service providers to offer end-to-end solutions. Tight integration between SD-WAN and collaboration tools will improve application performance and user experience.

Predictive Analytics and Optimization

Managed SD-WAN providers will offer predictive network insights with machine learning and data analytics. This will enable proactive capacity planning, performance optimization, and anomaly detection to enhance overall network availability and reliability.

Challenges of Traditional WAN

Traditional WANs, which use MPLS circuits to connect branch offices to central locations, face the following challenges in today’s digital world:

High costs: MPLS circuits are expensive. This leads to significant bandwidth costs for organizations.
Inflexibility: it can take a long time to provision new sites or make changes to the network. This limits agility.
Poor application performance: traditional WANs struggle to ensure optimal performance for cloud-based applications and critical services such as voice and video across complex networks.
Security risks: as data travels over the public internet, it becomes vulnerable to cyber threats. Implementation of strong security measures, such as next-generation firewalls, is complex and costly.
Management difficulties: limited visibility and manual configurations make managing and troubleshooting traditional WANs time-consuming and resource-intensive.

These challenges have driven the rise of SD-WAN as an alternative with better agility, security, and performance.

DIY vs. Managed SD-WAN

Organizations must choose between a DIY approach or a managed SD-WAN solution when implementing SD-WAN technology. The choice depends on your specific requirements, resources, and capabilities. Let’s compare DIY and managed SD-WAN solutions:

Control and Customization

Self-managed solutions provide complete control over the network infrastructure, allowing customization of the SD-WAN deployment. This enables fine-grained configuration, policy enforcement, and integration.

Managed services offer less direct control. Customization may be limited by the service provider’s offerings and standardized configurations.

Expertise and Resources

Self-managed SD-WAN requires in-house expertise and IT resources to design, implement, and maintain the solution. Skilled personnel are needed to handle SD-WAN complexities.

Managed SD-WAN providers offer specialized expertise and resources. Their teams handle deployment, configuration, and ongoing management.

Cost Considerations

Self-managed solutions require upfront investments. DIY SD-WAN can offer long-term cost savings by eliminating recurring service fees.

Managed services involve predictable subscription fees. While potentially more expensive short term, it reduces capital expenditures.

Scalability and Flexibility

Self-managed SD-WAN provides flexibility to scale infrastructure based on needs. Organizations can add sites, modify configurations, and integrate systems.

Managed providers offer scalability within their service offerings. But flexibility may be constrained by service tiers and customization options.

About Symplicity

Consider us your trusted partners in the world of SD-WAN services. Our expertise lies in identifying the right solution to transform your network management and optimize your connectivity.

Here’s how we can help ensure your SD-WAN success:

Tailored recommendations. We assess your unique requirements and provide personalized recommendations for a managed SD-WAN solution that aligns with your business needs.
Ongoing optimization. We work closely with you to continuously monitor and optimize your SD-WAN environment, adapting to changing demands and emerging trends.
Collaborative approach. Throughout the process, we foster open communication and collaboration between your team and our experts to ensure your network management objectives are met.

Explore our solutions page for a comprehensive overview of the services we provide.

SD-WAN FAQ

Is SD-WAN a cloud service?

SD-WAN is not a cloud service itself, but it can be delivered as a managed service by cloud providers or telecommunications companies. SD-WAN is a network architecture that uses software-defined networking principles to control and manage the WAN connections between an organization’s various locations, such as branch offices, data centers, and cloud resources.

Who needs SD-WAN?

SD-WAN can benefit many organizations, particularly those with distributed or hybrid network architectures, such as:

Enterprises with multiple branch offices that need to connect to a central data center or cloud resources
Organizations with a large number of remote or mobile workers that need secure access to corporate applications
Businesses that are heavily reliant on cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications
Companies that need to quickly and easily scale their network capacity to support changing business needs
Organizations that want to reduce their reliance on expensive MPLS circuits and leverage lower-cost broadband internet connections

What is the difference between SD-WAN and MPLS?

The primary differences between SD-WAN and MPLS are:

Infrastructure. SD-WAN uses a virtualized, software-defined network overlay, while MPLS relies on dedicated, hardware-based network infrastructure.
Connectivity. SD-WAN can leverage multiple types of network connections, including broadband internet, cellular, and MPLS, while MPLS uses only dedicated leased lines.
Cost. SD-WAN is generally less expensive than MPLS, as it can utilize lower-cost internet connections.
Flexibility. SD-WAN is more agile and flexible, allowing organizations to quickly add or change network capacity, while MPLS is more rigid.
Security. MPLS provides a more secure, private network, while SD-WAN security depends on the specific solution implemented.
Performance. MPLS generally offers higher and more predictable performance, with better quality of service guarantees, than public internet connections used by SD-WAN.

Which tool is used to manage SD-WAN?

The primary tool used to manage SD-WAN is the SD-WAN controller. It provides centralized management, automated deployment, performance monitoring, application optimization, security management, and analytics capabilities.

Is SD-WAN cheaper than WAN?

SD-WAN is generally cheaper than traditional WAN architectures such as MPLS due to lower connectivity costs, reduced hardware expenses, and decreased management overhead. The cost savings can depend on factors such as existing infrastructure and performance requirements.