SD WAN (Software Defined Wide Area Network) lets you connect multiple agencies to multiple interfaces by using an SD WAN capable firewall. The SD WAN firewall is application aware and automatically steers traffic over different service providers based on certain conditions.

As an example you could connect an MPLS network using one WAN connection and repair to the web for the second WAN connection. With SD WAN the traffic would then dynamically route over either connection depending on policies you define.

Overview
To comprehend how SD WAN works and exactly how it benefits your organization it is very important first know how things were configured previously.

Consider cold and warm taps by using an old fashioned wash hand basin. Suppose the hot tap (WAN 1 Interface) is linked to the MPLS Network as well as the cold tap (WAN 2 Interface) is linked to the Internet.

When the hot tap and cold taps are operated separately it is hard to control the temperature and flow of the water as is also totally independent of each other. Similarly, before SD WAN it was challenging to mix, control and manage traffic (business applications) across separate independent WAN Interfaces (on this example MPLS and Internet) just as the water within an old wash hand basin.

Why is SD WAN better?
SD WAN is a little as being a modern wash hand basin with both the and cold taps combined in a an easy task to adjust mixer tap. The water temperature could be controlled and will even be automatically regulated to provide you with the best temperature constantly.

With SD WAN you could have granular treatments for traffic across all WAN networks with advanced flexibility and agility. As an example, it is possible to define policies that frequently send traffic from your main business application on the MPLS network for instance but automatically switch online VPN in the event the MPLS network is congested or unavailable.

SD WAN transfers the duty of traffic management from physical devices to software and allows you to effectively and securely route traffic to remote locations including branch offices. Centralised control gives full visibility across the network and enables simplicity of management.

To sum up SD WAN offers you complete control of the method that you dynamically route and prioritise traffic based on application type and other factors for example congestion and availability.

Just how do SD WAN benefit your small business?
Lower bandwidth costs
Centralised network management
Full network visibility
Increased alternatives for vendor selection and connection type
SD-WAN benefits businesses by removing expensive routing hardware and instead provisioning connectivity and services in the cloud. Using the increased addiction to cloud-based services in the current workplace SD WAN features a far more robust and reliable network.

SD WAN is often a a lot more flexible option which allows a small business to scale connectivity down and up as his or her business dictates which enable it to automatically adjust and steer cloud-based traffic over different routes when congestion or service provider failure occurs. This permits a small business to own a lot more efficient and cost-effective enterprise reducing bandwidth costs as required without compromising availability. Businesses are effectively avoiding over provisioning which lowers overall WAN costs.

The centralised control enables changes being implemented and quickly pushed in the market to network hardware for example routers and switches.

After a primary investment SD-WAN can improve a business’s connectivity between branch locations, the main office, data centres as well as the cloud while reducing running costs making long-term savings with time.

To get more information about looking for SD-WAN products go to our resource.