What is SD-WAN and how does it work – Some businesses, especially global enterprises, have offices in different locations. People running businesses with offices in many locations often find it difficult to pass information, affecting the productivity of their business. For this reason, most business owners have adopted the Wide Area Network (WAN) technology to link various offices.
However, this technology is relatively slow and complicated. As a result, business owners are increasingly adopting a Software-defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN). SD-WAN solutions enhance old-fashioned WAN by managing networking hardware through a software-based controller hosted in the cloud.
SD-WAN simplifies network management and operation since you can monitor and configure equipment remotely via software, eliminating the need to send technicians to the site.
Here is how SD-WAN works.
What Does SD-WAN Stand For
What is SD-WAN and how does it work – SD-WAN refers to a virtual WAN architecture that enables business enterprises to connect various users to applications safely. This technology utilizes several transport services, such as broadband internet, LTE, and MPLS.
An SD-WAN solution employs a centralized control feature to securely and intelligently route traffic directly across the WAN to reputable SaaS and IaaS providers. As a result, a business makes more profit.
SD-WAN Architecture Components
What is SD-WAN and how does it work – SD-WAN solutions comprise three major components.
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SD-WAN Edge– This refers to the part where the network endpoints are located. It could be a remote data facility, branch office, or a cloud system.
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The SD-WAN Controller– This is an SD-WAN component that centralizes management and allows operators to view the network through a single glass pane while establishing policies for the orchestrator to implement.
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An SD-WAN Orchestrator– It refers to a virtualized network manager that oversees traffic and applies operator-defined policies and protocols.
Types of SD-WAN Architecture
Three main types of architecture
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Cloud-Enabled SD-WANs– This is an SD-WAN that connects to a virtual cloud gateway via the internet. As a result, it increases network accessibility. It also improves performance and integration with cloud-native applications.
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An On-premises SD-WAN– An on-premises SD-WAN is SD-WAN hardware located on-site and does not rely on the cloud for connectivity. This allows network operators to have direct access and manage the hardware efficiently. You can use it to securely send confidential information that you don’t wish to transmit via the internet.
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Cloud-Enabled with Backbone SD-WANs- This SD-WAN provides additional backup for business organizations by connecting the network to the nearest point of presence (POP), like within a data center. It facilitates traffic transfer from a public to a private network, resulting in a more secure SD-WAN. Additionally, it enhances consistency if the connection becomes overloaded or fails.
How SD-WAN Works
What is SD-WAN and how does it work – SD-WAN offers more benefits than Traditional WANS, such as VPN or LANs but this varies depending on an organization’s needs.
Traditional WANs
Traditional WANs depend on physical routers to link branch/remote users to data center-hosted applications. Each of these routers has a data plane that stores information and a control plane that directs the data.
Here, administrators and network engineers usually determine the data flow direction by manually writing rules and policies for each router on the network. Manually executing this task is time-consuming, and mistakes are inevitable.
SD-WAN
So, how does SD-WAN work? SD-WAN works by decoupling the control and management procedures from the main networking hardware and transforming them into software that is simple to configure and deploy. Network administrators can create new rules and policies with a centralized control panel. After that, they can simultaneously organize and distribute them across the entire network.
Data transmission between two offices is done via a VPN and routed through the headquarters to enhance information security. Therefore, having a high-throughput and reliable IP tunnel is essential. If a satellite office communicates with the headquarters via a T1, DSL, or cable modem connection, the throughput may be inadequate, especially when uploading information from the headquarters.
Additionally, a single broadband route at the satellite office does not offer sufficient uptime that critical business applications require.
SD-WAN’s architecture promotes high-speed communication between the main offices and branches, even if they are spread across a large geographical region. By integrating access resources on either side, the devices create a clear and fast data channel.
The Real Power of SD-WAN
What is SD-WAN and how does it work – SD-WAN is increasingly becoming one of the most popular network technologies.
Some SD-WAN benefits include:
1. Reduced Costs
One of the main reasons why many businesses have adopted SD-WAN technology is because it increases operational bandwidth at a lower price.
It enables businesses to build a unified network infrastructure with a wide range of connections such as broadband internet, LTE, and MPLS. This allows companies to move less sensitive data over less expensive public connections, reducing their dependence on expensive private MPLS links.
2. Speeds Performance Through Dynamic Path Selection
MPLS-enabled WAN routes internet-bound traffic through a corporate data center before reaching its destination. This procedure is referred to as the trombone effect, a significant issue in MPLS networking. Backhauling traffic reduces performance, which can affect modern services such as videoconferencing.
SD-WAN addresses this problem using policy-based routing, which transmits and routes data in real-time based on policies outlined by network system administrators. SD-WAN assesses crucial metrics such as data loss, latency, and load to instantly route traffic through an ideal path without the need for data backhauling.
Real-time path tracking guarantees that critical business applications are routed effectively across all the available connections that satisfy the policy definition. This strategic load balancing offers more versatile results at a lower cost than relying on the WAN’s default MLPS connections alone.
3. Tightens Security
Even though MPLS is dependable, guaranteeing redundancy at the MPLS provider level is quite expensive. SD-WAN solution incorporates dependability and redundancy using policy-based routing and multiple connections. It also minimizes single failure points and encourages high configurations using different transport techniques.
Moreover, SD-WAN’s overlay network enables network classification with a centralized management system and total visibility into every network segment. This also contributes to business organizations having more robust security.
Final Words
What is SD-WAN and how does it work – SD-WAN technology ensures the smooth running of a business, promoting business growth. It also enables people to run successful global businesses since offices can easily communicate. If you want to make information flow freely and securely within your business, consider adopting the SD-WAN technology.
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