Thanks to problems like restricted network budgets and growing bandwidth demand, Corporate WAN (wide-area network) managers are consistently searching for a way to optimise their WAN solutions, while maintaining excellent performance. This is where SD-WAN (Software Defined Wide Area Networking) comes into play.
While Software-defined networking that is deployed throughout a service provider network can offer flexible usage-based solutions between high-capacity sites, SD-WAN services can optimise traffic flow for performance and cost. Though it’s still in the early stages of adoption, SD-WAN was a hot topic at the WAN summit of New York, with many vendors and customers beginning to highlight the advantages of incorporating new technology into WAN solutions.
What is SD-WAN and How Can It Be Deployed across a Network?
In simple terms, SD-WAN is a service that gives enterprises the chance to dynamically route their traffic through a hybrid WAN based on network status. Through the replacement of traditional routers with appliances capable of assessing and using different transportation technology based on performance, SD-WAN enables enterprises to route larger amounts of their traffic through broadband and other cost-effective services. As required, video, voice, and other quality-of-service-sensitive traffic can be routed through private label switching (MPLS) links.
Through a global network, SD-WAN can be deployed as a hardware/software combination, or fully-software-based solution.
The Problems that SD-WAN Addresses
SD-WAN is beneficial because it addresses many common problems faced by enterprise network managers, including:
- Decreasing network complexity
- Cost management
- Increased performance and flexibility
Additionally, one of the primary drivers for enterprises SD-WAN is price. While maintaining an entirely MPLS-based WAN is expensive, alternative solutions offer greater cost savings. For instance, during early 2016, the median 10 Mbps IP VPN costs within London and New York were more than ten times the cost of a broadband connection for the same capacity. Although MPLS do provide quality of service guarantees that can’t be accessed through broadband, SD-WAN services address these concerns with performance by constantly evaluating different links for transport, and using the most appropriate services.
Thanks to SD-WAN solutions, enterprises can increase their network capacity, without causing problems with network budgets. The biggest promise of SD-WAN, is that the service can help to assess and provision traffic in real-time, eliminating some of the complexity often found at individual network sites.
SD-WAN Could be the Solution of the Future
As more organisations adopt internet-based applications and services that are located exclusively on the cloud, much corporate traffic is already linked to the internet. Carrying internet traffic across a private network with consolidated gateways often degrades performance and increases latency – despite the assurances that VPN offers in terms of QoS.
However, optimising internet connectivity solutions with SD-WAN services allows enterprises to offload traffic directed to the internet closer to the edge of the network, or connect directly with cloud service providers, to enhance end-user experience and minimise latency.
