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Finding the Right SD-WAN Vendor for Your Business

February 24, 2023 , , , , ,

Finding the Right SD-WAN Vendor for Your Business

Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) is an innovative approach to network connectivity that enables organizations to prioritize business-critical applications while reducing costs and improving network security.

1. What is SDWAN ?

SD-WAN is an abbreviation for Software-Defined Wide Area Network. It is a networking technology that enables businesses to link many sites, such as branch offices, data centers, and cloud resources, in a safe, dependable, and cost-effective manner.

Traditional WANs use dedicated circuits, such as Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), to connect different sites. However, these circuits can be expensive and inflexible, and may not provide the necessary bandwidth or performance for modern applications.

SD-WAN tackles these issues by use software to design the network and control traffic flow across a variety of connections, including broadband internet, 4G/LTE, and MPLS. This enables businesses to optimize network performance, cut expenses, and improve application delivery across the WAN.

SDWAN Architecture
Fig 1.1-SDWAN Architecture


SD-WAN solutions often incorporate security, performance monitoring, and application optimization, all of which contribute to a network that is safe, dependable, and efficient.

2. Benefits of SDWAN

SD-WAN enables businesses to manage network traffic and prioritize key applications, improving network performance and lowering latency.

SD-WAN provides organizations with greater flexibility and agility to adapt to changing business requirements, such as the addition of new sites or the deployment of new applications.

SD-WAN includes security features, such as encryption and firewalling, to protect network traffic and prevent cyber threats.

SD-WAN can save WAN expenses by utilizing less expensive connections, such as broadband internet, and by eliminating the need for costly circuits, such as MPLS.

SD-WAN enables centralized network administration and control, which simplifies network management and minimizes administrative cost.

3. Best practices for SDWAN solution

Identify business objectives: Before implementing SD-WAN, it is vital to determine your organization's unique business objectives and the apps required to meet them. Knowing your requirements will assist you in selecting the appropriate SD-WAN solution for your business.

Understand network infrastructure: It is critical to understand your present network architecture and how it will combine with SD-WAN. A thorough evaluation will assist you in identifying any potential compatibility concerns and ensuring a seamless transfer.

Prioritize security: SD-WAN may dramatically improve network security, but best practices such as encryption, segmentation, and access control policies must be used to guarantee the network stays safe.

Optimize application performance: By offering dynamic traffic routing, traffic shaping, and application-aware routing, SD-WAN can assist enhance application performance. It is crucial to optimize your SD-WAN system in order to prioritize traffic for mission-critical applications.

Choose the right deployment model: SD-WAN may be deployed in a variety of scenarios, including cloud-based, on-premises, and hybrid. The best model for your company is determined by its unique demands and objectives.

Monitor network performance: It is critical to regularly monitor network performance and verify that your SD-WAN solution is fulfilling the objectives of your firm. Real-time monitoring solutions can assist you in identifying and resolving any performance issues.

Skillset for SDWAN: SD-WAN need a distinct set of skills than standard WAN technology. Verify that your IT personnel has received adequate training to administer and maintain your SD-WAN technology.

4. Choosing the right SDWAN solution

Choosing the right SD-WAN vendor is critical to the success of your SD-WAN implementation. Here are some key factors to consider when selecting an SD-WAN vendor

Business requirements: Understand your organization's specific requirements for network performance, security, and reliability. Identify the applications critical to your business and determine their bandwidth and performance needs.

Deployment model: Determine the right deployment model for your organization, whether it be cloud-based, on-premises, or a hybrid approach. Consider factors such as scalability, manageability, and cost.

Integration: Ensure that the SD-WAN solution can integrate with your existing network infrastructure, including firewalls, routers, switches, and other networking equipment. Compatibility is important to ensure smooth and efficient integration.

Security: Evaluate the security capabilities of the SD-WAN solution, including features such as encryption, segmentation, access control policies, and threat detection. Ensure that the solution is compliant with industry standards and regulations.

Ease of management: Assess the ease of management of the SD-WAN solution, including the availability of centralized management and monitoring tools, automation capabilities, and reporting and analytics features.

Vendor support: Evaluate the level of support provided by the SD-WAN vendor, including technical support, training, and documentation. Look for vendors with a track record of customer satisfaction and reliable support.

Total cost of ownership: Consider the total cost of ownership of the SD-WAN solution, including the initial investment, ongoing maintenance and support costs, and any additional costs such as bandwidth and data usage fees.

5. Security considerations top of your mind

SD-WAN is an effective technology that improves network performance, reduces costs, and enhances security. However, like any networking solution, it also introduces some security considerations that must be taken into account. Here are some key security considerations for SD-WAN:

Encryption: SD-WAN should use strong encryption methods to protect data in transit between sites. Encryption should be end-to-end, meaning that data should be encrypted at the source and remain encrypted throughout the entire transmission.

Segmentation: SD-WAN can segment traffic between different applications and users, providing an added layer of security. This helps to isolate traffic and prevent the spread of malware and other security threats.

Access control: SD-WAN should provide robust access control capabilities, including user authentication and authorization, to prevent unauthorized access to the network and data.

Threat detection: SD-WAN should include real-time threat detection and response capabilities to identify and respond to potential security threats. This includes intrusion detection and prevention, malware detection, and threat intelligence.

Security policies: SD-WAN should allow for the creation and enforcement of security policies that align with your organization's specific security requirements. This includes policies around data access, usage, and protection.

Compliance: SD-WAN should comply with industry regulations and standards, such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR, to ensure that your organization remains compliant with relevant laws and regulations.

Vendor security: It's important to evaluate the security posture of SD-WAN vendors, including their security certifications, processes, and track record. Look for vendors with a strong focus on security and a commitment to ongoing security improvements

6. Monitoring and performance optimization

SD-WAN provides significant benefits for network performance, but it's important to monitor and optimize the solution to ensure that it meets your organization's specific needs. Here are some best practices for monitoring and optimizing SD-WAN performance:

Real-time monitoring: SD-WAN should include real-time monitoring tools that provide visibility into network performance and traffic flow. This allows you to quickly identify and troubleshoot issues before they impact your network performance.

Network analytics: SD-WAN should include network analytics capabilities that provide insights into network traffic, usage, and performance. This helps you to understand network patterns and usage, and to identify areas for optimization.

Application optimization: SD-WAN can optimize network traffic for specific applications, such as voice and video, by prioritizing traffic based on application requirements. This ensures that critical applications receive the necessary bandwidth and performance.

Bandwidth management: SD-WAN can help you manage bandwidth usage by providing visibility into bandwidth usage and the ability to prioritize traffic based on business requirements. This ensures that bandwidth is used efficiently and effectively.

Dynamic routing: SD-WAN can use dynamic routing algorithms to select the most efficient path for network traffic based on network conditions, such as latency, packet loss, and congestion. This helps to optimize network performance and reduce latency.

Cloud integration: SD-WAN can integrate with cloud services, such as SaaS applications and public cloud providers, to optimize network performance for cloud-based workloads. This includes direct connectivity to cloud providers and dynamic routing to cloud-based resources.

Continuous optimization: SD-WAN performance should be continuously monitored and optimized to ensure that it meets your organization's changing needs. This includes regular performance assessments and the implementation of new optimization techniques as required.

7. Conclusion

In conclusion, SD-WAN is an excellent networking solution that offers businesses safe, dependable, and affordable communication between various sites. It provides a number of advantages, including as higher security, more agility, and better network performance, all of which may assist enterprises in achieving their corporate objectives.

Organizations should carefully assess their demands and choose a solution that satisfies them in order to get the most out of SD-WAN. To make sure that their SD-WAN solution is functional and efficient, they need also adhere to best practices for security, monitoring, and optimization.

Overall, SD-WAN is a valuable technology that is transforming the way organizations approach networking. As more organizations adopt SD-WAN, we can expect to see continued innovation in this space, as well as new use cases and applications that take advantage of this powerful technology.