5 benefits of SD-WAN

Software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) solutions emerged out of the natural evolution of WAN technology. In the past, companies used private circuits from carriers for connectivity. However, this approach generated low bandwidth at a high cost.

As the internet and virtual private networks (VPNs) became popular, organizations experienced problems with network security, scaling and management. SD-WAN solved these problems by combining VPN, router and firewall technologies, enabling centralized management and making scaling and policy-setting easier.

Here are five ways adopting SD-WAN can benefit your company:

1) Ease of management

Resources that can execute on traditional WAN are difficult to find. SD-WAN makes it easier to manage your network yourself using a graphic user interface, or GUI.

SD-WAN provides centralized management, allowing companies to set the same policies across network devices. For example, with SD-WAN, a company that has 30 sites doesn’t need 50 routers to handle network traffic.

Before SD-WAN, organizations experienced network configuration drift. Now centralized controllers enable companies to use the same design across the network and achieve full visibility. The software-defined aspect of SD-WAN allows a business to build policies that control which traffic uses which circuit. If there is a problem with a circuit, it can fail over to another.

2) Return on investment

SD-WAN generates more return on investment than a traditional WAN. With SD-WAN, companies move away from expensive private circuits to the internet.

Ease of management and deployment makes SD-WAN cost-efficient. SD-WAN will often pay for itself and still deliver cost savings on top of that.

Companies can choose between enterprise-level SD-WAN and more cost-effective options with features that fit the needs of middle market businesses.

3) Flexibility

When companies with traditional WAN tried to change carriers, it would take a lot of work to update the network environment. With SD-WAN, companies gain transport independence. An organization is no longer dependent on a carrier because it doesn’t matter how the connectivity is provided.

4) Improved security

Today, companies are facing increasingly complex security requirements as they move more applications to the cloud. SD-WAN allows organizations to take advantage of a cloud firewall.

With SD-WAN, all branches of the network are connected, and there is no need to channel traffic back to the headquarters. Instead, cloud access has been built out. For example, Cisco Meraki builds a tunnel back to company headquarters so remote workers with take-home devices can access on-premises resources securely.

Companies that use SD-WAN take advantage of the same interface whether managing security for branches or for employees working from home. SD-WAN is a component of secure access service edge, or SASE, protecting remote devices at the edge.

5) Scalability

Because SD-WAN is easy to manage, it is also highly scalable, automatically scaling up and down to meet the fluctuating demands of network traffic.

New network assets can be added into the portal and controlled with the same policies without the risk of configuration drift. Policy configurations are performed in the cloud.

Why you need an advisor for SD-WAN

Even though SD-WAN is easy to manage, it’s still important to have an advisor who can fine-tune your network policies. Without expert help, you may open holes in your network.

A certified advisor can execute the SD-WAN design properly from a security and scalability perspective, and can help you choose the right SD-WAN solution for your company.

RSM works to understand your business needs and recommend an SD-WAN solution from the many options available. We are one of the largest members of the Cisco Partner Program, so we can help you decide between Cisco SD-WAN for enterprises and Meraki for the middle market space. With Cisco Meraki, smaller companies can save money by taking advantage of only the features they need.