If your company has yet to significantly update its wide area network (WAN) in over a decade, you’re not alone. However, it might be time to consider making some changes once again.
Software-defined networking (SDN) is poised to revolutionize WANs’ traditional and static nature. Within this realm, SD-WAN technology has emerged as a relatively new solution that leverages software and virtual network overlays to simplify the design, construction, and management of WANs.
Moreover, SD-WAN helps organizations tackle the complexities of mobility, cloud computing, and the ever-expanding Internet of Things (IoT).
SD-WAN allows companies to embrace a more agile and dynamic networking approach.
By decoupling network control from the underlying hardware, SD-WAN offers the flexibility to optimize traffic routing, prioritize critical applications, and dynamically adapt to changing network conditions.
As the networking landscape continues to evolve, considering the adoption of SD-WAN can unlock new possibilities and give your company a competitive edge in today’s interconnected world.
Why Does Your Company Need SD-WAN Solutions?
Traditional Wide Area Network (WAN) architectures often need help to meet the demands of modern businesses, which rely heavily on cloud applications, remote workers, and multiple branch locations.
This is where Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) solutions come into play. Given below are the benefits you enjoy with SD-WAN Solutions.
Enhanced Network Performance And Reliability
SD-WAN solutions offer improved network performance and reliability by optimizing traffic routing and utilizing multiple network connections, such as MPLS, broadband, or cellular networks.
With intelligent traffic steering, SD-WAN dynamically selects the best path for each application or data type, ensuring optimal performance and minimizing latency.
This results in enhanced user experience, increased application responsiveness, and reduced downtime, ultimately boosting productivity and customer satisfaction.
Cost Savings
By leveraging SD-WAN, organizations can achieve significant cost savings compared to traditional WAN architectures.
D-WAN allows businesses to leverage more affordable and widely available internet connections, reducing reliance on expensive dedicated MPLS lines.
Additionally, SD-WAN solutions’ centralized management and automation capabilities streamline network operations, reducing administrative overhead and minimizing the need for dedicated IT personnel at each branch location.
Flexibility And Scalability
SD-WAN solutions provide flexibility and scalability to accommodate the evolving needs of your organization. With a centralized management platform, administrators can easily configure, monitor, and control the network across multiple sites from a single interface.
Adding new branch locations, integrating cloud services, or expanding capacity becomes seamless and cost-effective, allowing your network infrastructure to scale effortlessly as your business grows.
Secure Connectivity
Ensuring secure connectivity is paramount in today’s cyber threat landscape. SD-WAN solutions incorporate robust security measures to protect your network traffic and data.
Features like end-to-end encryption, next-generation firewalls, and integrated security services help safeguard your network from unauthorized access, malware attacks, and data breaches.
With SD-WAN, you can maintain high security across your entire network infrastructure, including remote and branch locations.
If your business is struggling with insecure connectivity, SD-WAN solutions can help. So, what are you waiting for? Click here for SD-WAN solutions with fast, no-touch deployment.
Improved Application Performance
SD-WAN solutions prioritize critical applications and allocate bandwidth accordingly, ensuring optimal performance for mission-critical applications.
With application-aware routing, real-time traffic monitoring, and quality-of-service (QoS) capabilities, SD-WAN can effectively manage network resources, mitigate congestion, and prioritize bandwidth for essential applications.
This results in improved application performance, reduced latency, and seamless user experience across the organization.
Frequently Asked Question
Q1. Do I Need To Change Network Providers?
Determining whether you need to change network providers depends on various factors specific to your organization’s needs and current network situation.
Evaluate the performance and reliability of your existing network provider. If you are experiencing frequent downtime, slow speeds, or inconsistent connectivity, it may be a sign that your current provider is not meeting your requirements. In such cases, exploring other options might be necessary.
Consider whether your current network provider can scale with your business growth. If you anticipate expanding your operations or adding more locations, it is crucial to ensure that your provider can accommodate your evolving needs without compromising performance.
Assess whether your current provider offers the latest technologies and services that align with your business requirements. For example, if you require advanced security features, cloud integration, or support for emerging technologies like SD-WAN, you may need to explore alternative providers that can meet these demands.
Q2. Will SD-WAN Save My Business Money?
Implementing SD-WAN technology has the potential to save your business money in several ways. SD-WAN allows for dynamic path selection, which means it can intelligently route traffic across multiple network connections, including broadband internet, MPLS, and LTE.
By leveraging cost-effective internet connections and balancing traffic based on performance and cost metrics, SD-WAN can help reduce reliance on expensive dedicated MPLS connections, resulting in potential cost savings.
With SD-WAN, you can prioritize critical applications and allocate bandwidth resources accordingly. By optimizing bandwidth usage, you can avoid unnecessary expenses associated with overprovisioning or paying for excessive bandwidth that may go underutilized.
Traditional network architectures can be complex and require significant IT resources for management and maintenance. SD-WAN simplifies network management through centralized orchestration and automation, reducing the need for manual configuration and troubleshooting. This streamlined approach can lead to cost savings by minimizing the time and effort required to manage and operate the network.
Q3. How Much Does SD-WAN Cost?
The cost of implementing SD-WAN can vary depending on several factors, including the size of your network, the desired level of functionality, the number of locations, and the specific requirements of your business.
SD-WAN solutions typically involve the cost of hardware appliances or virtualized instances that serve as the SD-WAN edge devices. The prices of these devices can vary based on their capabilities and performance. Additionally, there may be licensing fees for the SD-WAN software and ongoing software updates.
SD-WAN requires network connectivity to function effectively. The cost of network connectivity will depend on the types of connections you choose, such as broadband internet, MPLS, or LTE. The pricing for these connections will vary based on factors like bandwidth capacity, service providers, and geographic location.
It’s essential to consult with SD-WAN vendors or service providers to get detailed pricing information tailored to your organization’s specific needs.
What Can You Do Right Now?
For many growing businesses, one of the biggest challenges is finding a networking solution that can keep up with the increasing demands of bandwidth-intensive applications such as voice and video while effectively managing many cloud-based applications.
The ideal solution should prioritize security regardless of how you connect or where your traffic is directed. Additionally, scalability and cost-effectiveness are key considerations.
SD-WAN addresses these challenges by offering dynamic path selection, end-to-end encryption, and a user-friendly configuration interface.
It seamlessly integrates with your existing network infrastructure, providing a solution that is both scalable and easy to implement.
With SD-WAN, you can maximize the performance of your internet connection by ensuring that applications receive the necessary resources precisely where they are needed the most.
