As much of the company workflow infrastructure has moved to the cloud, it’s left behind traditional wide area network (WAN) technologies. They use a hardware-heavy format to direct IP services to different physical locations.
Some of the reasons that cloud adoption has been the driving force in business for the last decade include that it reduces the need for costly physical infrastructure and makes anywhere access possible.
A successor to the legacy WAN infrastructure is a software-defined WAN or SD-WAN. This offers a similar type of cost savings and boosts in ease of use as going from a hard drive-locked software to a cloud application.
Between 2019 and 2026, the use of SD-WAN is expected to grow by 60%.
Some of the disadvantages of the traditional WAN include:
- New policies are managed on a per-device basis, meaning administration is cumbersome
- New sites can take months to add on due to the hardware provisioning needed
- Configuration is handled locally, not centralized
If you want to ensure your entire IT infrastructure is updated and optimized, then it’s important to replace manual or physical processes with automated and cloud-based ones. SD-WAN is one of these.
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What is SD-WAN?
SD-WAN is a virtual architecture for a WAN, which allows multiple sites to connect and share data across various distances. It allows the use of multiple delivery services to securely connect users to their applications, including broadband internet, MPLS, and LTE.
Rather than being administered via site/device, SD-WAN is centralized for easier control across multiple sites. It uses a cloud-based format, which allows it to deliver a better user experience and “play well” with other cloud architecture.
Wide area networks connect different locations of a business across large geographical areas. Having this type of infrastructure be software-driven in a cloud environment improves multiple parts of the network as a whole.
Benefits of Upgrading to SD-WAN at Your Company
Centralized Security
Traditional WANs implement security at each individual location, which can mean that one site might be lacking a new update or security policy that the others have.
SD-WAN makes it easier to install universal security policies against cybersecurity threats because it’s done in one place and is then implemented at all sites at once.
This reduces the risk that a breach may happen before all sites can be updated since there’s no lag time between site adoption of a new policy.
Use a Variety of Service Types
When you use SD-WAN, you’re not locked into one type of internet service for connecting your sites. It’s flexible to use multiple circuits based upon what may be available or may make the most sense for your location.
For example, SD-WAN can be used with:
- Standard internet service
- 4G or 5G
- LTE
- MPLS
- Fixed Wireless
Lowers Operational Costs
Because SD-WAN uses cloud architecture and is centrally managed, companies have lower operational costs.
They save by not needing administrative teams at every site, and there is less hardware needed to implement the network.
All sites are administered at the same time from one place, which significantly reduces administrative time and cost.
Improves Network Consistency
With a traditional WAN, which requires each router to be administered separately, trying to ensure all sites have identical policies can be very difficult.
Since sites are all administered from one place, network consistency is greatly improved, and you know that everyone is operating on the same company-wide policies.
Issues Can Be Handled Faster
When you have to send teams out to each site to deal with a bandwidth issue or another network problem, the logistics of travel can slow down problem resolution.
With SD-WAN, management is streamlined and can be done in a more timely way, because any site issue can be resolved from one place, without needing to physically travel between sites. This includes the installation of critical updates and security patches.
Reduces Internet Costs
Because SD-WAN allows you to mix and match different circuit types for site connection, you can save money on expensive fiber connections. You get to choose the connection methods that make the most sense for each area to maintain performance and keep costs manageable.
Improves Network Uptime
You can reduce cloud application downtime with the use of SD-WAN. It actively monitors your cloud connectivity and can provide an instant failover if any problems are detected. This keeps your term working productively without any loss of service.
Better Network Performance
SD-WAN has several features that can improve your overall network performance and connections to cloud applications. This includes things like:
- Load balance circuits
- Reduction of network latency
- Reduction of packet loss
Learn How Much Better Your Connections Can Be with SD-WAN
With Cloudavize’s SD-WAN Managed Services in Dallas, experience improved connectivity, application performance, and network security. Learn how our expert team can optimize your network with SD-WAN technology, reducing costs and increasing efficiency. As a leading SD-WAN Managed Service Provider in Dallas, we tailor our services to your specific needs, providing 24/7 support, seamless integration, and a personalized approach. Contact us today to see how we can transform your network infrastructure.
Contact Cloudavize today for a free consultation to get started.
