SD-WAN solutions offer a cost-effective upgrade to your enterprise network. IT teams should evaluate features like scalability, security, and functionality to ensure they choose the best solution for their business.
SD-WAN creates a virtual overlay on top of existing WAN connections, including MPLS, Internet broadband, and 4G or 5G wireless networks. It centralizes network control with programmable devices and dynamic best-path routing, lowering IT costs, complexity, and resources.
Cost
You might want to ask what is SD-WAN and how it works. There are a variety of SD-WAN solutions that range in price and functionality. When choosing the best one for your business, consider how the solution fits your existing network architecture and who will manage it. You should also factor in any contracts you have for services. This will help you determine your ROI.
An important consideration is the size of your company and the number of locations. Your organization may have a different data center-to-location ratio or plans to expand or reduce this ratio. It would help you to understand how dispersed your workforce is and what applications are most critical to each location. The answers to these questions will help you identify the type of access required for each site, the capacity and scalability of the appliances at each location, and any security requirements.
Depending on your network type, an SD-WAN solution can help reduce costs by managing traffic over existing internet connections instead of traditional routers. These solutions also have built-in security that combines routing and firewall capabilities. This helps protect your information from threats while ensuring the network can always work as intended. Moreover, a smaller hardware footprint means less maintenance and downtime. Additionally, SD-WAN provides a way for remote workers to connect to the office through a standard internet connection or a secure 3G or 5G cell service.
Scalability
One of the most essential features businesses need is scalability, especially when cyberattacks are rampant. A company must protect its data at the source to prevent attackers from stealing sensitive information. Using SD-WAN technology, it is possible to secure data by channelizing it through an encrypted tunnel. This method is also effective for remote sites that need more technical staff to build a network.
Traditional architecture with conventional routers often requires backhauling traffic to a central data center so that detailed security inspection can occur. This hinders productivity and results in a poor user experience. SD-WAN uses software to simplify networks with a virtual approach, providing better control over traffic and performance.
SD-WAN offers scalable and reliable connectivity through automated zero-touch provisioning, cloud management, application performance optimization over any WAN link, and edge security. These features help to streamline operations and improve efficiency, even for global enterprises with multiple branches and remote locations.
Unlike MPLS, which is expensive to install and upgrade and has limited cloud and remote work support, SD-WAN provides more flexibility and scalability. It can combine WAN links and optimize traffic to increase productivity and reduce costs. Additionally, it can quickly add new locations, allowing for greater agility and flexibility. This makes handling changing business needs easier and improves the overall user experience.
Security
As with any network, security is a critical concern. SD-WAN solutions take several measures to ensure that only authorized devices are allowed onto the web and traffic is encrypted. These security mechanisms include WAN optimization, packet loss mitigation, and firewall protection.
WAN optimization helps to reduce bandwidth consumption and improve application performance. This is accomplished by prioritizing the most critical applications and reducing latency for real-time applications. It also enables organizations to utilize existing circuits better and offers avenues of routing that were not previously available.
SD-WAN solutions can also reduce the need for costly private MPLS connections by offloading internet access at the branch. This helps to improve performance, especially over best-effort Internet services, which may be susceptible to packet loss and jitter.
In addition, an SD-WAN solution can also provide a layer of security for cloud and Internet connectivity. This is achieved by providing a secure, scalable, high-performance gateway that can be deployed quickly at the edge of the WAN.
Fortinet’s Secure SD-WAN solution is a good option for businesses that want to strengthen their WAN security without adding complexity. It offers advanced security functions like NGFW, SASE, and ZTNA in a single appliance, enabling organizations to consolidate solutions and simplify management. You can request a free consultation to see how our solution would work for your organization.
Experience
An experienced System Integrator (SI) partner will be able to assist your business in finding the right solution for your specific needs. They will help you evaluate multiple SD-WAN choices, determine which technical features will meet your business requirements, overcome existing problems, and deliver a future-proof solution.
Ideally, SD-WAN solutions will decouple networking hardware from its control mechanism. This makes the deployment and configuration process much quicker. It also reduces complexity and the need for extensive training. This is especially important for a smaller company where staff is scarce and time is precious.
Additionally, a good SD-WAN solution will include a firewall and security capabilities. These will ensure your business data is secure from internal and external threats. They will perform a deep packet inspection, filter based on applications and use, secure connections with encryption and provide threat management based on location, session, and user.
Furthermore, a quality SD-WAN solution will provide scalability. This means that you will be able to add bandwidth as your business grows. This will allow you to meet bandwidth requirements without upgrading your network hardware. This will save you a lot of money in the long run. SD-WAN can also offer a failover capability to protect your business during a transport outage. This will prevent any loss of data or disruption to critical applications.
