SD-WAN Providers

The introduction of SD-WAN Providers is accelerating rapidly. According to an IDG study, almost 69% of IT experts are piloting or have SD-WAN in production. This is because SD-WAN helps companies gain better insight and control over their network performance, maximize bandwidth allocation, and automate many management functions. Since most companies are interested in it, IT managers must understand which SD-WAN approaches maximize interoperability and visibility, as edge devices and their configuration play a key role in the overall performance of the solution. Here is a quick guide.

SD-WAN Edge Devices and Interoperability

SD-WAN devices must be able to communicate seamlessly with other resources on your company's existing private networks. However, some SD-WAN devices may need to be deployed at each location to do this. Depending on how your private network and locations are configured, your SD-WAN peripheral devices may not communicate well with your private network and other IT infrastructures. Most SD-WAN peripheral devices communicate from one location to another or from one location to the cloud, effectively protecting them from much of your existing WAN infrastructure. It is essentially a new component that does not work well in your current IT test environment.

If you think of your corporate WAN as a litter box, the analogy for adding SD-WAN is like adding a separate litter box to your existing litter box. This smaller, separate SD-WAN sandbox cannot be seen or played by any of the other "kids".

As a result, you will experience these challenges:

Lack of visibility: Some SD-WAN devices do not work together or do not offer a unified view showing how the various elements work as a consistent unit in the larger network system.

Poor management and poor performance: Network optimization is difficult without a single dashboard and unified control tools because the data is fragmented. IT managers cannot effectively solve WAN problems. As a result, finding the root causes becomes an exercise in which multiple portals for network administrators and signal providers are reviewed and compared. Trying to find a clear answer that solves your problem becomes a game of frustration and waste of time.

Restricted security: Network visibility plays an important role in helping security experts understand how data and traffic flow in the IT environment. Without it, your IT team cannot detect lateral movements and other signs of an attack. Assessing network behavior becomes a challenge that reduces your security situation.

Visibility is one of the main advantages of SD-WAN, and buyers can inadvertently undermine the value of their IT investment. Given interoperability, transparency and security, careful design and considerations are important in creating the best solution for your IT environment.

Ensure maximum visibility and performance with SD-WAN built into the WAN infrastructure

A sure way to maximize interoperability and visibility is to migrate to a single software defined network platform where SD-WAN is embedded in the network structure. With these solutions, each SD-WAN instance works on the same backbone, stays in sync, and creates a unified view of performance. A unified global network provides businesses with the same benefits as an SD-WAN edge device and the benefits of a network built entirely on software-defined principles:

• A unique and consistent IT infrastructure that guarantees quality of service worldwide.
• Simplified network deployment with the freedom to combine any desired type of connectivity for any network environment (private and direct connections to cloud providers and public Internet connection)
• Unlimited number of segmented virtual networks - upstream / downstream test environments with private access as needed
• A single online portal with comprehensive analytics and controls spanning all WANs in the IT environment
• Easy access to a wide range of additional features, including routing, firewall, and direct cloud connections