SD WAN (Software Defined Wide Area Network) allows you to connect multiple service providers to multiple interfaces with an SD WAN capable firewall. The SD WAN firewall is application aware and automatically steers traffic over different agencies based on certain conditions.
For instance you could possibly connect an MPLS network on one WAN connection and connect to the web around the second WAN connection. With SD WAN the traffic would then dynamically route over either connection depending on policies you define.
Overview
To understand how SD WAN works and just how it benefits your small business you will need to first know the way things were configured previously.
Consider hot taps while on an traditional wash hand basin. Think of the hot tap (WAN 1 Interface) is attached to the MPLS Network and also the cold tap (WAN 2 Interface) is connected to the Internet.
In the event the hot tap and cold taps are operated separately it is not easy to regulate the temperature and flow with the water as they are totally independent of the other person. Similarly, just before SD WAN it was tough to mix, control and manage traffic (business applications) across separate independent WAN Interfaces (within this example MPLS and Internet) similar to the water in the old wash hand basin.
Why is SD WAN better?
SD WAN is being a modern wash hand basin with the and cold taps combined in an simple to adjust mixer tap. The water temperature might be controlled and may be also automatically regulated to give you the perfect temperature always.
With SD WAN you could have granular control of traffic across all WAN networks with advanced flexibility and agility. As an example, you are able to define policies have a tendency to send traffic from a main business application within the MPLS network for instance but automatically change online VPN in the event the MPLS network is congested or unavailable.
SD WAN transfers the responsibility of traffic management from physical devices to software and permits you to effectively and securely route people to remote locations including branch offices. Centralised control gives full visibility through the network and enables easy management.
In conclusion SD WAN offers you complete control of the method that you dynamically route and prioritise traffic according to application type as well as other factors including congestion and availability.
Just how can SD WAN benefit your organization?
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 from the cloud. Together with the increased reliance upon cloud-based services nowadays in this workplace SD WAN delivers a considerably more robust and reliable network.
SD WAN can be a far more flexible option allowing a business to scale connectivity around for their business dictates and can automatically adjust and steer cloud-based traffic over different routes when congestion or vendor failure occurs. This permits a small business to perform a more efficient and cost-effective enterprise reducing bandwidth costs when needed without compromising availability. Organizations are effectively avoiding over provisioning which lowers overall WAN costs.
The centralised control enables changes to be implemented and quickly pushed to network hardware such as routers and switches.
After a preliminary investment SD-WAN can improve a business’s connectivity between branch locations, the key office, data centres and also the cloud while reducing running costs making long-term savings as time passes.
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