How does SD-WAN work?
- SD-WAN, a software-defined wide-area network, optimizes network performance and simplifies network management by using virtualized or lightweight appliances to dynamically route traffic over different transport technologies based on their performance.
- Rather than relying solely on traditional WAN technologies like routers and MPLS or T1 connections, SD-WAN also incorporates inexpensive Internet broadband connections and the power of cloud computing to automatically determine the most effective way to route traffic between network branches and data centers.
- SD-WAN enables organizations to meet growing demand for bandwidth while containing costs, minimizing network complexity and increasing network agility and performance.
SD-WAN technology is quickly gaining ground on traditional WAN technology, enabling organizations to optimize network performance and increase bandwidth while containing or reducing costs. But how does SD-WAN work, and why is it superior to traditional WAN technology? Here’s a short primer on “How does SD-WAN work?” that offers a quick peek at this IT solution.
How does SD-WAN work?
SD-WAN creates a transport-agnostic virtual overlay on WAN connections, using a lightweight or virtual appliance to direct WAN traffic in real time over the most appropriate and efficient connections. SD-WAN enables high-priority traffic to be routed over the highest-performing connections at any given moment, and less critical traffic to be routed over more-cost-efficient connections.
How does SD-WAN work vs. traditional WAN?
Traditional WAN technology uses expensive proprietary routers and connections like MPLS to connect network branches and data centers, making it costly to add additional bandwidth. SD-WAN significantly reduces the cost of provisioning additional bandwidth by eliminating reliance on expensive hardware and by enabling organizations to use more inexpensive connections to route network traffic.
How does SD-WAN work to increase security?
SD-WAN supports enterprise security by providing greater visibility into network performance and operations, and by enabling traffic to be segmented, prioritized and assigned based on security policies.
How does SD-WAN work to improve quality of service?
SD-WAN increases quality of service (QoS) by ensuring that high-priority or delay-sensitive data, e.g., data packets in an audio conferencing application, is delivered over the highest-performing connections to avoid being dropped or delayed.
How does SD-WAN work to reduce costs?
SD-WAN reduces hardware costs and enables organizations to incorporate more inexpensive connectivity options.
How does SD-WAN work to simplify network management?
SD-WAN makes network management easier through faster provisioning, zero-touch deployment, simpler configuration and easier ongoing monitoring.
How does SD-WAN work to enhance agility?
SD-WAN increases agility by enabling greater interoperability among multiple connections, devices and services.