What Does 'SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Networking)' Mean?
Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) is a technology that allows businesses to improve the performance and security of their wide area network (WAN) connections by using software to control and direct network traffic. This is accomplished by using a software-defined networking (SDN) approach that separates the control plane (the decision-making component) from the data plane (the component that forwards traffic).
With SD-WAN, network administrators can use a central management system to configure and control their WAN connections, including the ability to prioritize traffic, route it over multiple paths, and apply security policies.
This lets businesses better manage the cost, performance, and security of their WAN connections. This is especially important for companies that use cloud services and other Internet-based applications.
It also provides benefits such as simplification of network configuration, improved visibility, and automation that helps improve network performance while reducing costs. Additionally, it creates the possibility for the use of multiple paths to route the traffic to and from the branches, thus providing more reliable, secure, and efficient connectivity.
More information
Here are a few more details about SD-WAN:
1) The key benefit of SD-WAN is that it gives businesses the option to utilize less costly Internet connections alongside or instead of more expensive MPLS connections. This assists in reducing WAN costs while still providing good performance and security.
2) SD-WAN uses a technique called “traffic steering” to direct network traffic over the best available path. This can help to ensure that critical applications and services receive the bandwidth they need, while less critical traffic is directed over less expensive paths.
3) Another benefit of SD-WAN is that it allows for easy branch-to-branch communication without the need for complex and expensive VPN configurations. This makes it easier to simplify branch office networking and reduce costs.
4) In terms of security, SD-WAN provides administrators with the capacity to apply security policies consistently across the WAN. It also makes possible for zero-trust security by using a combination of VPN and secure gateway, which can help prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.
5) SD-WAN solutions are typically provided by vendors as a service and deployed on customer premises as a physical or virtual appliance. This makes them easy to deploy and manage, and they can also easily integrate with existing networking infrastructure.
6) Finally, one of the key trends in the SD-WAN market is the integration of SD-WAN with other networking technologies, like 5G and edge computing. This leads to further improvements in the performance, security, and cost-effectiveness of WAN connections.
