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SD-WAN Solutions For Productivity and Connectivity
Take your network to new heights with SD-WAN: Enhance reliability, security, and scalability
What is SD-WAN?
SD-WAN is a transformative approach to managing and operating wide area networks (WAN) that focuses on centralizing control and intelligently routing network traffic to improve efficiency, resilience, and performance. By decoupling the network control plane from the underlying hardware, SD-WAN allows for greater flexibility and dynamic management of network resources.
We can help you adopt and manage SD-WAN.
- Identifying requirements: we’ll collaborate with you to evaluate your organization’s network needs, including bandwidth, security, and application performance, to determine the most suitable SD-WAN solution.
- Provider selection: with our extensive knowledge of the SD-WAN market, we’ll guide you in choosing the best provider based on factors such as compatibility, features, scalability, and pricing.
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- SD-WAN strategy development and implementation: we can help you design a comprehensive SD-WAN deployment plan and facilitate a smooth integration with your existing network infrastructure.
- Knowledge transfer and support: our team can offer training and assistance to your IT staff and end-users, ensuring they can confidently utilize and manage the SD-WAN solution, promoting user adoption and adherence to network policies.
- Continuous monitoring and improvement: we can monitor the performance and efficiency of your SD-WAN solution, making necessary modifications to keep it aligned with your evolving business requirements and to maintain optimal network performance and security.
Key Benefits of SD-WAN Systems
With SD-WAN adoption growing rapidly, enterprises are realizing significant cost savings, improved application performance, and enhanced protection against threats—key benefits of SD-WAN solutions that make it a vital part of the modern enterprise network architecture. Here’s how SD-WAN Systems can lead to the optimal performance of your enterprise:
Cost Effective
Software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) solutions provide enterprises with a cost effective way to manage and optimize their network traffic flows across wide geographical areas.
By leveraging SD-WAN functionality, organizations can gain greater visibility and control over their ever-expanding enterprise traffic mix, which increasingly includes critical business applications delivered via the public internet.
Intelligent Application Optimization
A key benefit of SD-WAN systems is the ability to implement application optimization techniques that ensure consistent application performance for business-critical applications. This application prioritization and application control is made possible by the SD-WAN appliances or virtual appliances that sit alongside existing dedicated hardware appliances.
The SD-WAN software adds extra layers, such as an additional logical layer, that enables centralized management and more intelligent traffic routing based on pre-set policies.
With granular control over the enterprise’s application traffic, SD-WAN solutions provide real time application delivery and optimization to improve app performance and the overall user experience for remote users, workers and customers alike.
This is achieved through capabilities like load balancing across multiple links, and the ability to dynamically route traffic based on link quality and network bandwidth requirements.
Threat Protection
In addition, leading SD-WAN platforms include integrated threat protection throughput and intrusion prevention systems to secure data across a wide range of transport networks.
This allows organizations to safely send applications and data over broadband and internet links, without compromising security. SD-WAN throughput for threat management is important for financial services firms and others handling sensitive data.
The advanced security controls native to SD-WAN appliances help enterprises reduce their reliance on costly dedicated WAN hardware and private network links. SD-WAN provides consolidated networking and integrated security features on unified, cost-effective hardware. This reduces hardware costs substantially compared to multiple standalone appliances.
Additional Benefits of SD-WAN Solutions
In addition to the three main benefits above, SD-WAN offers an abundance of other advantages. Here are some of the noteworthy additional benefits of SD-WAN:
Simplified Network Management
SD-WAN solutions provide centralized management and control through an SD-WAN controller that oversees the entire distributed SD-WAN environment. This single pane of glass reduces operational complexity by automating tedious network management tasks. It also streamlines network operations like provisioning new network segments and applying security policies across the WAN. This simplification of network management is a key driver of SD-WAN’s lower operational costs.
Dynamic Scalability
A major benefit of SD-WAN technology is the ability to dynamically scale bandwidth up or down as an organization’s requirements change. This provides flexibility to align network capacity and spending with business needs instead of overprovisioning expensive dedicated lines. SD-WAN facilitates right-sizing of bandwidth to maintain performance as demands shift, while significantly reducing costs compared to multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) links.
Enhanced Resiliency
SD-WAN maximizes network resiliency and high availability through capabilities like sub-second traffic steering and automatic failover to backup links when outages occur. This keeps mission-critical applications running smoothly across the WAN, minimizing disruption. The solution’s overlay fabric and support for multiple transport types increases redundancy, preventing downtime from link failures.
Multi-Cloud Connectivity
SD-WAN offers secure connectivity for enterprise’s branch infrastructure, data centers, and users of public clouds through an overlay network. This optimizes access to cloud-based apps across geographically dispersed environments. SD-WAN’s single-architecture fabric seamlessly links on premises applications and cloud-based applications.
Granular Control and Visibility
Robust traffic steering, shaping and analytics provide unprecedented visibility into network and application performance. This supports granular control and optimal user experience. The rich telemetry streamlines monitoring, troubleshooting and management.
SD-WAN Architecture
SD-WAN architecture represents a shift from hardware-centric networking to an intelligent, software-based approach. Key capabilities stem from the architecture’s intelligent controls and overlay abstractions. If you want to experience the benefits of the SD-WAN architecture for yourself, contact us. We will help you implement the optimal SD-WAN solution for your needs.
Network Infrastructure
Instead of conventional routers, SD-WAN architecture relies on edge routers installed at branch offices which connect via multiple transport options like broadband, MPLS and long-term evolution (LTE) to form an overlay network. This replaces the need for backhauling traffic through inefficient traditional branch routers.
The SD-WAN network edge routers provide secure internet connectivity options and optimized access to applications delivered over the internet or hosted in the cloud. They also connect seamlessly into the larger corporate network infrastructure comprised of data centers, campuses and branch networks.
Connection Types
A defining capability of SD-WAN solutions is the ability to leverage multiple internet connections concurrently, including broadband internet, MPLS, and wireless 4G/LTE. This multi-transport architecture provides reliability and high-performance connectivity to users by preventing outages when one connection fails.
Traffic shaping and steering policies determine how different applications use each of the connections. For example, videoconferencing traffic may use the low-latency MPLS circuit while internet browsing leverages the internet link.
Quality of Service
SD-WAN allows granular control of application traffic with quality of service policies that prioritize business-critical applications. This ensures high performance and consistent user experience across the network. SD-WAN can detect network congestion and automatically steer packets over less utilized paths.
Packet Loss
To maintain reliability over all connection types, the SD-WAN overlay uses techniques like packet duplication, forward error correction and retransmissions. This minimizes packet loss across both private connections and public internet links.
Secure Connections
SD-WAN platforms provide built-in key features that increase security, such as next-generation firewalls, IPS/IDS, URL filtering, antivirus and more. These protect traffic across the entire WAN cloud infrastructure. SD-WAN automates secure connectivity between locations, clouds and the internal network.
Reliable Connectivity
With its overlay fabric and multiple active links, SD-WAN provides resilient, high-availability connections. Automated failover quickly switches traffic from one link to another in milliseconds if there is an outage. This maintains continuous uptime for mission-critical cloud-based services and applications.
Types of SD-WAN Solutions
There are four main types of SD-WAN solutions. Here are a few important points about each type:
Self-Managed SD-WAN
- With self-managed SD-WAN, enterprises purchase SD-WAN software and hardware from a vendor and deploy, configure, and manage the solution themselves.
- This provides full control over the SD-WAN environment using in-house IT resources. However, it requires developing expertise in SD-WAN technology.
- Leading options for self-managed SD-WAN include VMware VeloCloud, Cisco vManage, Versa Director, and Citrix SD-WAN Center.
Managed SD-WAN
- Managed SD-WAN software entails outsourcing the SD-WAN deployment, management, and optimization to a service provider.
- The provider handles tasks like configuration, monitoring, troubleshooting and updates. This reduces the burden on enterprise IT staff.
- Examples include managed services from MSPs like Lumen and Masergy, and fully managed SD-WAN from the likes of Aryaka.
Hybrid SD-WAN
- Hybrid SD-WAN involves a joint management model with shared responsibilities between the enterprise and service provider.
- The enterprise may manage the on-premises infrastructure while the provider manages the SD-WAN overlay.
- Versa Networks, VMware, and Silver Peak are among vendors offering hybrid co-managed SD-WAN.
SD-WAN as a Service
- With SD-WAN as a service, the SD-WAN functionality is delivered through a cloud-hosted model rather than on-premises appliances.
- Enterprises access the SD-WAN control and analytics portal via the web to centrally manage the distributed environment.
- Examples include Cato Networks’ Cato Cloud and Cisco Meraki VMX Cloud-Managed SD-WAN.
The optimal SD-WAN deployment model depends on an organization’s needs, resources, and appetite for control versus outsourcing management. If you need help deciding on which type is ideal for your needs, contact us. We’re happy to help.
SD-WAN Service Providers
The SD-WAN market has rapidly expanded as leading vendors introduce innovative SD-WAN products. Here’s an overview of key SD-WAN service providers and their offerings that enable next-generation WAN transformation.
- VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud: VMware’s SD-WAN platform utilizes VMware SD-WAN Edge devices. A leader in the SD-WAN industry, according to Gartner Magic Quadrant™.
- Cisco SD-WAN: Cisco’s offering provides flexible deployment options as software, hardware or cloud-delivered. A top SD-WAN vendor.
- Palo Alto Networks Prisma SD-WAN: Prisma SD-WAN integrates next-gen security with SD-WAN capabilities on physical and virtual appliances.
- Citrix SD-WAN: Citrix provides a unified application delivery platform with its virtualized SD-WAN solution.
- Lumen SD-WAN: Lumen Technologies offers managed SD-WAN service using its EdgeConnect SD-WAN platform.
If you need help deciding which provider is best for your needs, we can help. We’re a supplier-neutral SD-WAN consultancy that works as an extension of your team to make sure you get the optimal solution.
About Symplicity Communications
Consider us your trusted partners in the realm of SD-WAN services. Our specialization lies in delivering comprehensive solutions that can transform the way you manage your network and optimize your connectivity. Here are the key areas where we excel to ensure your SD-WAN success:
- Our top priority is establishing a robust and dependable SD-WAN network connection. This guarantees constant accessibility to your critical data and applications, ensuring uninterrupted network performance and support for your business operations.
- We are dedicated to providing you with a flexible and scalable SD-WAN environment. As your network requirements evolve, our services can effortlessly adapt to accommodate increased demand, eliminating concerns about network limitations.
- We recognize the importance of efficient communication in SD-WAN operations. Our solutions are thoughtfully designed to foster collaboration among your network administrators and partners, facilitating smoother network management workflows and decision-making processes.
Our commitment is to offer you the expertise, guidance, and ongoing support needed to ensure a seamless implementation of your SD-WAN strategy. With our services, you can trust that your SD-WAN will be efficient, reliable, and equipped with the capabilities necessary for your business to excel in the world of network management.
In addition to contact center services, we also excel in managed IT, cybersecurity, and business intelligence solutions. Explore our solutions page for a comprehensive overview of the services we provide.
FAQ on SD-WAN Solutions
What is SD-WAN in a nutshell?
SD-WAN is a network architecture that allows companies to leverage any combination of transport services to securely connect users to applications. SD-WAN abstracts the control layer from the underlying physical transport, enabling centralized management and dynamic traffic engineering.
What problems are solved by SD-WAN?
SD-WAN solves the limitations of traditional WANs which rely on expensive, rigid MPLS circuits by enabling enterprises to use lower cost public internet in conjunction with MPLS. This increases bandwidth, improves resiliency and lowers costs. SD-WAN also provides centralized, unified policy and visibility across the entire network.
What is business-driven SD-WAN technology, and how does it differ from basic SD-WAN solutions?
Business-driven SD-WAN technology is a more advanced iteration of traditional SD-WAN. It focuses on aligning network policies with specific business goals, optimizing quality of experience (QoE), and ensuring cost-effective cloud adoption. Basic SD-WAN, on the other hand, may lack the sophistication to tailor network performance to business objectives.
What are some of the key features of basic SD-WAN cloud instance support?
Basic SD-WAN cloud instance support typically includes the ability to connect to various cloud platforms and providers, including private clouds. It helps businesses with their cloud adoption by providing seamless connectivity to cloud environments. However, it may lack the advanced features found in business-driven SD-WAN technology.
What factors should a company consider when evaluating the cost of ownership for an SD-WAN solution?
When assessing the cost of ownership for an SD-WAN solution, companies should consider factors such as hardware and software expenses, ongoing maintenance costs, the cost of network administrators’ time, and the potential for improved QoE and reduced operational expenses. It’s important to evaluate both the upfront and long-term costs.
What is the significance of the co-managed option in SD-WAN solutions?
The co-managed option allows enterprises to collaborate with SD-WAN service providers in managing and optimizing their network. It’s especially valuable for businesses with complex networks that require expert assistance while retaining some level of control themselves.