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SD-WAN undoubtedly provides a cost-effective way to connect to branch offices and other remote sites. However, among all the savings, SD-WAN offers many benefits that far outweigh traditional WAN.

Still hesitating about transitioning to SD-WAN? Here are the key advantages of this technology.

flexibility

Virtually any type of enterprise can use SD-WAN technology. For example, retailers are deploying SD-WAN to create the best online and in-store shopping experience to compete with Amazon and others. "For hotels, SD-WAN means providing in-room entertainment that makes guests feel like they're in a living room. Jeff Lewis, vice president of business data product management at Comcast Business, said,"For fast food restaurants, this means ordering from mobile apps, rather than waiting in line, and having food delivered as soon as employees walk in the door. "

performance

Geoff Sinn, Director of SD-WAN Practice at Dimension Data, says MPLS networks are typically small when it comes to the bandwidth customers require, and they don't connect directly to the cloud. "This results in degraded application performance, reduced response times, and reduced end-user satisfaction. All problems can be solved easily with SD-WAN. "

As companies increasingly adopt cloud-first strategies, it is critical that end users do not negatively impact application performance and response times. "Any degradation of any of these parameters will lead to end-user dissatisfaction and resistance to cloud-first policies. Sinn explained.

agile

Traditional WAN does not scale well. "So you're going to experience a performance penalty for backhauling Internet traffic through the data center," said Dan Groscost, Network Solutions Architect for Computer Design and Integration, a company responsible for planning, deploying and managing hybrid IT services. SD-WAN provides secure, direct cloud connectivity and is the best choice for SaaS performance. "he added.

With SD-WAN, the transport infrastructure is abstracted. Software-defined policies ensure that business applications receive the necessary Quality of Experience (QoE ) according to application service level agreements (SLAs). "When one link is affected, mission-critical applications can be dynamically rerouted through other links in real time. Groscost observed.

security

SD-WAN technology uses industrial-grade, standards-based authentication and encryption to fully protect end-to-end control and every detail of traffic. Marc Sollars, chief technology officer of Teneo, a network services company, said,"SD-WAN can also help administrators detect attacks faster by continuously looking at the amount and type of network traffic. For data and transport, top-of-the-line SD-WAN solutions use technologies such as IPsec VPN, IKEv2 with certificates, and end-to-end encryption using AES-256. "

SD-WAN can also help businesses deliver IT systems that are easy for employees and partners to access, without being vulnerable to cyber attacks. The technology typically has built-in security features such as firewalls, intrusion prevention, and URL filtering. "It enables businesses to connect workers to critical software applications, whether they're in an office, coffee shop or airport lounge,"Lewis said,"and confidential files can be protected by segmenting and isolating traffic." "

management

Managing traditional MPLS WANs is expensive, time-consuming, and requires skilled resources at the edge. "SD-WAN uses automation and a centralized delivery approach to reduce costs and time associated with day-to-day management activities, eliminating the need for localized resources,"Sinn said.

The ability to resolve network issues with minimal or no impact on end-user performance while optimizing application flow reduces IT management workload. "Emergency network-related support tickets for IT departments are minimized or eliminated," said Cahit Jay Akin, CEO of Mushroom Networks, a global broadband bonding and SD-WAN technology provider.

SD-WAN processes traffic based on priority, quality of service, and security requirements according to business needs. Sollars says different businesses have different needs and priorities when it comes to security. "SD-WAN solutions provide a single, multitenant management tool to handle applications and business policies for all connections, regardless of the underlying communication medium, MPLS, Internet, or wireless. "

Unlike traditional networking, most SD-WAN vendors package their solutions as virtualized applications managed from the cloud and delivered as an as-a-service. "This approach automates maintenance and management tasks, for example, firmware and software updates can be delivered continuously without human intervention. "said Marcio Saito, chief technology officer of Opengear, a business continuity service provider.

SD-WAN can also immediately detect outages and reroute traffic through LTE backups with sub-second response times. "A power outage can easily break individual network links, causing connections to fail at critical moments," Solas said. "This unpredictability is highly undesirable, especially for companies looking to migrate their business to the cloud. "

development

SD-WAN paves the way for future cloud migrations. One of the biggest challenges facing cloud migration is the reliability and performance of connecting IP to the cloud. "SD-WAN becomes a true enabler of cloud migration by establishing high-performance, cost-effective cloud connectivity,"Akin said, adding that "migrating VOIP/UC services to the cloud, such as IP-PBX, or moving various security services to the cloud perimeter, are some good examples of this trend and related dynamics." "

For many enterprises, the key advantage of SD-WAN is that the technology can be rolled out gradually while continuing to leverage existing investments in MPLS and other types of network infrastructure. "SD-WAN can introduce one or more offices without disrupting existing networks, such as test-driving cars before buying. Lewis pointed out.

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