The challenge of introducing SD-WAN

1. What SD-WAN means for your business

Technologies relating to network services for companies are developing rapidly. One of these technological innovations is modern software-defined networking (SD-WAN).

With SD-WAN, the responsibility for managing the network tends to be delegated to the end customer. The provision, monitoring and management of the solution is usually carried out via a cloud-based management portal.

Like any new, evolving technology, SD-WAN has its challenges. Although many vendors present the technology as a “do-it-yourself” technology, users need to be aware of the potential risks, challenges and migration issues associated with deployment. There are several factors to consider when selecting, deploying and configuring the best solutions for your organization.

2. Security

SD-WANs usually use the bandwidth of public, comparatively insecure Internet connections. This exposes the corporate network to potential threats. SD-WAN solutions require additional security to ensure that, despite unsecured underlay networks, corporate data is adequately protected and company policies are adhered to. Key security features include policy control, traffic visibility and protection against direct threats and attacks. Most providers have some level of security built into their SD-WAN platforms. This includes encryption and firewalls, for example.

3. Reliability of the SD-WAN provider

The SD-WAN market is dynamic and peppered with numerous providers. As more and more companies are introducing SD-WAN and the requirements are sometimes very different, the decision for the right provider is becoming increasingly complicated. Companies are therefore tending to opt for a standardized Managed Software Defined Network that does not require any additional IT expertise. Industry experts predict that several smaller providers will either exit the market or be acquired in the near future. It is recommended that IT leaders carefully and proactively evaluate the mid-term viability of their SD-WAN solutions.

4. Improved SaaS support

Companies are increasingly relying on SaaS providers to provide them with the best applications to support unified communications, CRM, office suites, accounting and much more. For an enterprise network, integrating these applications is a challenge. The platform offers improved SaaS support with local breakouts to the respective clouds and, if necessary, direct connects or express routes to the most important clouds. Companies can define specific policies, compliance and security criteria for each service within the management portal. More and more providers are now innovative and designed to automatically provide an appropriate quality of service (QoS) to critical SaaS applications without the intervention of the IT department.

5. Selection of network connectivity

One of the most compelling advantages of SD-WAN over traditional routed WANs is the ability to use multiple independent underlay networks (MPLS, Internet, leased lines, microwave, 5G, LTE) simultaneously as a main or active-active backup, thereby bundling the performance and reliability of the available lines. In fact, minimizing network downtime is often a key reason for introducing SD-WAN, which is why care must be taken to ensure that the underlay networks are as independent and physically diverse as possible.

6. Exploiting the full potential of the SD-WAN network

The benefits of SD-WAN are numerous and the architecture is fundamentally a cloud-centric way of working. The key is choosing the right vendor for you and deploying and managing the system correctly. The large number of vendors and features available means that companies need to analyze exactly what their network needs are today and in the next 5-7 years, what in-house capacity and capabilities they can or want to use for network rollout and operation, and how to ensure the best possible network configuration and long-term management of the network.

Are you currently dealing with this topic yourself? Feel free to contact me via chat, Teams or Whatsapp, send me an e-mail or book a free online meeting in my calendar. I look forward to your questions!