sd wan solutions
SD-WAN has networked again - and for good reason. Many CIOs see SD-WAN technologies as a key part of their cloud strategy. After all, it is known for increasing WAN performance and connecting branch offices quickly and securely while reducing costs. However, the market is flooded with SD-WAN products, all of which promise a nirvana network for the campaign.
It is true that SD-WAN can make your network more flexible with centralized control and management. But many SD-WAN products are sold as do-it-yourselfs that require IT resources to configure and manage the solution before any real benefit is gained. While some large organizations may choose the DIY method, many can be involved in dependency and the system. As a result, many enterprises choose to work with an existing regulatory service provider.
Network engineering knowledge
SD-WAN integrated into a software-defined network platform
24x7 proactive network performance monitoring and ongoing support
If your organization is considering managed SD-WAN services, here are five things to consider when evaluating solutions.
Built-in features and services to enhance your security situation
When evaluating vendors, choosing a secure SD-WAN solution designed for enterprise-grade cybersecurity is critical. Because? Because most SD-WAN devices aren't designed to be secure. Ask these questions before buying:
Does your SD-WAN solution include an integrated next-generation firewall with Unified Threat Management (UTM)?
Does it offer secure local internet connections, and if so, how?
Does the SD-WAN hardware appliance include an integrated router and next-generation firewall, which make it easy to route traffic directly and securely to the Internet without stacking multiple devices in one location?
While some vendors will have IPSec tunneling and may even have next-generation firewalls built into their SD-WAN offering, others will go even further:
Integrate security analytics into your network performance dashboard and customer portal - this is the hallmark of security tools rooted in network clothing (not just connected as an aftermarket component) that enables real-time visibility.
Offer add-on-driven security solutions and 24/7 monitoring services or even a comprehensive detection and response solution - this removes the security audit workload from customer IT teams
Ensure your hardware is powered by the leaders in the security industry
Flexible hybrid network to reduce costs
The key catalyst behind SD-WAN adoption is to effectively implement any combination of public and private network connection to reduce WAN connection costs and increase WAN utilization. These key features enable cost-effective connectivity and bandwidth usage.
Access independent service: SD-WAN services should be access independent, allowing customers to design any combination of public and private network connection. Also, SD-WAN shouldn't lock you into a particular hardware vendor.
Active-Connect Connections: Being able to combine all bandwidth is probably the biggest selling point of SD-WAN. You can always use all available links. This is called active or dual active configuration. Instead of using a public broadband internet connection or a passive wireless connection as a backup for a private connection, an SD-WAN solution should allow companies to use both services in active mode.
Service level agreements to improve the user experience of the app
A regulated SD-WAN service provider should be able to support a number of WAN services worldwide, offering connectivity options from broadband and wireless internet to private connections. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) reflect the differences in these services.
SLAs for network access, latency, packet loss and jitter are critical in a hybrid network because the performance guarantees are not the same as in a private WAN. In addition, SLAs extending to SD-WAN (CPE) Customer Site Equipment are key considerations. The time required to repair or replace equipment is critical to ensuring the continued operation of SD-WAN installations.
SLAs and quality of service are largely due to the network service platform and underlying architecture that supports your SD-WAN solution. It's worth knowing if it's a software-defined network. When SD-WAN peripherals are associated with fully software-defined network services, all elements and components are accessible and flexible. This strategy increases IT flexibility and increases automation capacity. Software-defined networks also pave the way for the future by setting the task required for automation or mission-based networking.
When using direct internet access to providers like Amazon Web Services and others, cloud SLAs are an important consideration. These ensure network performance until traffic is delivered to the cloud service provider and help customers provide a consistent application experience.
Dynamic traffic engineering to increase resource efficiency
Most companies evaluating the SD-WAN solution have private connections on their WAN. The ability to prioritize traffic (voice and video over IP, for example) over both public and private connections and the ability to guarantee quality of service over applications is critical. Therefore, application performance monitoring and analysis tools are the building blocks of an energetic and hybrid WAN solution.
Demand-based personalization is a key feature and benefit. Allows the service to choose the best network path for bandwidth and quality of service based on the specific application requirements. Two valuable features that enable application-based and application-based routing are advanced error correction and dynamic application management (DAP). Advanced error correction overcomes the negative effects of dropped and out of service packets on Internet connections to provide similar performance to private networks. DAP provides real-time traffic management over any broadband or private connection based on company-defined corporate intent policies. In the event of a breakdown or outbreak, DAP cannot automatically connect to the secondary connection within one second, ensuring uninterrupted service to end users.
Fully managed service to improve your productivity
Choosing a managed SD-WAN solution offers several key advantages over a do-it-yourself model, but it's important to ask the vendor a few questions to understand what "management" is:
