This article outlines the basics of SD-WAN, a modern evolution of traditional WAN solutions. This new architecture combines application performance, security, and resiliency into a single, integrated solution. In the process, SD-WAN minimizes complexity and CAPEX. Ultimately, it benefits your company in more ways than one.
SD-WAN is a new evolution of SD-WAN
The SD-WAN technology allows enterprises to use their network capacity better. By using public Internet services, businesses can offload traffic from their private networks, reserving capacity for business-critical applications. It can also improve WAN resilience. It creates a hybrid network environment using multiple connections, with traffic being balanced between the different services in normal conditions. If one connection goes down, the traffic can fail over to another.
The technology also allows IT teams to gain visibility into the traffic on their network. This visibility helps them make more informed decisions about which policies are appropriate and which do not. Furthermore, it gives IT teams the power to address BYOD issues. Lastly, SD-WAN definition can be used to create a secure virtual network or a private cloud network.
The SD-WAN market is large and competitive, with more than 60 vendors. Companies including Cisco, VMware, Silver Peak, Riverbed, Aryaka, Fortinet, Nokia, and Versa are developing SD-WAN solutions. Market research shows that the SD-WAN market is expected to grow at a 30.8% compound annual growth rate over the next five years, reaching $5.25 billion in 2023.
It combines application performance, security, and resiliency into a single solution.
SD-WAN is an application-centric network that combines application performance, security, and resiliency into a single solution. The benefits of SD-WAN include better application performance, increased network efficiency, and reduced operational costs. It also enables enterprises to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving IT landscape and their business objectives.
The benefits of SD-WAN are clear. It enables organizations to achieve lower costs, increased agility, and cloud-friendliness. SASE combines SD-WAN with cloud-delivered security functions, eliminating the need for multiple security appliances. This holistic solution provides a centralized view of the entire network, enabling administrators to identify and enforce policies based on business requirements. It also uses a multitenant cloud-native architecture, enabling it to service any edge endpoint.
As the demand for cloud-based applications increases, SD-WAN has gained traction. As workloads moved to the cloud, they became more agile. Additionally, SD-WAN offered a cost-effective alternative to traditional MPLS.
It reduces complexity
In addition to reducing complexity, SD-WAN can help organizations lower costs by aggregating multiple direct-to-internet (DIA) lines into a single network circuit. It can also help organizations set up new branches online with lower costs and time. With the advent of SD-WAN, companies will be able to manage the complexity of their network without the need for a full-time IT team.
An SD-WAN reduces complexity by eliminating single points of failure and simplifying network management. It also enables organizations to configure and manage critical applications more efficiently and is much less complex than legacy WANs. SD-WAN also provides failover and intelligent assignment of network policies. The resulting network is more resilient and will automatically choose the best path.
As network demands increase, organizations can scale up and down their SD-WAN infrastructure to meet their needs. Most SD-WAN solutions connect directly to cloud providers, making it easy to adjust bandwidth as needs change. In addition, these solutions simplify network management by enabling organizations to leverage cloud services for their data center and branch networks. Furthermore, they minimize the footprint of hardware by providing virtualized networking functions.
It minimizes CAPEX
A business case for SD-WAN considers three elements: revenue, CAPEX, and opex. Revenue is the cost of services provided to end users; CAPEX includes the cost of investment in the various elements of the SD-WAN solution, such as software and hardware. Common infrastructure, such as a DC network, is also essential. Capital expenses are based on the number of subscribers, the features and functions needed, and the capacity demand.
Another benefit of SD-WAN is the ability to manage network routes and application quality of service. This feature allows companies to reduce the cost of MPLS while still improving their business performance. Additionally, it can lower the cost of MPLS, as more traffic can be shifted to cheaper links.
The software-defined architecture of SD-WAN enables intelligent traffic management through network virtualization. This helps optimize WAN performance by dynamically choosing between multiple hybrid WAN connections, including broadband, MPLS, and LTE. This technology minimizes packet loss, jitter, and other issues that affect end-user experience. It also improves application performance by eliminating bandwidth and network latency.
