SD-WAN | Smart Networking
What is SD-Wan?
SD-WAN is the next implementation for your enterprise network.
At least that\'s what you\'ve heard, so what is it and why should you move to it?
The Definition
It stands for Software Defined WAN.
What\'s That Mean?
It is different from your hardware defined WAN and beneficial in many ways. A hardware defined WAN is rigid and often involves fixed, expensive and limiting circuits and hardware to connect your branches. Think private line or MPLS.
How Does SD-WAN Help Me?
You can now say goodbye to these legacy services that offer you very little flexibility and intelligence and implement a new network that uses broadband links and software intelligence at a fraction of the cost.
Let\'s Dig Deeper
The intelligence of SD-WAN comes from constant analysis of the transports at your site.
- How is this circuit performing?
- Has the latency changed?
- Do I want to route my VoIP traffic over this under-performing circuit?
- Do I want to route bandwidth intensive traffic over the same links as my VoIP traffic?
Intelligence in SD-WAN components are constantly analyzing your links and making routing decisions about the traffic that is going over them.
Is This Really That Great
In a word. YES.
For example, SD-WAN can see that a link can no longer support VOIP traffic because of an increase in latency or some packet loss and then dynamically change to a link that can.
All of the network intelligence is taken out of the hardware and into software running in the cloud. With more computing ability able to analyze data, you get smarter routing decisions. These routing decisions need to be simply told to the CPE (customer premise equipment). It doesn\'t need to know why it is routing one type of traffic one way and another type of traffic another way or be responsible for the analysis of the traffic, it just needs to be told how to split it up:
- Permit or Deny this traffic
- Smart Routing
- Route this packet over \"Internet Link Alpha\"
- Route these two packets over \"Internet Link Beta\".
- This approach takes a lot of computing needs away from the CPE where resources are strained, and into the cloud where resources are plentiful.
What About Future Upgrades?
New features are simply programmed into the cloud and don\'t take upgrading software or firmware at all of your branches to see a new configuration take place. If your SD-WAN provider wants to overlay additional services, such as WAN Optimization, they can just layer these features on top with new licensing. Upgrading circuits doesn\'t take new paperwork and new hardware at all of your branches either. You can just swap out a cable link from one provider for a fiber link with another provider without disrupting your network.
Ok, I like what I hear but it still sounds complicated.
Don\'t fret, s2s can get you up and running. It\'s actually much easier and cheaper than you realize.
Ask s2s how you can move to SD-WAN today!