In the world of networking, the successful deployment of SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Networking) hinges on a clear understanding of business-critical applications. For an SD-WAN solution to deliver its full potential in terms of improved network performance, cost reduction, and application optimization, the role of these applications needs to be carefully defined and prioritized. This forms the foundation for the entire deployment, guiding decisions on network architecture, traffic management, and overall network policies.
Historically, traditional routers functioned by directing data packets based on their destination. The router examined the destination IP address of each packet, consulted a routing table, and determined the best available path to that destination. While this method ensured packets reached their correct location, it did not consider the specifics of the application that was generating the traffic. A router did not know whether a packet belonged to a critical application or a non-essential one. It did not account for the application’s unique requirements, such as latency sensitivity, bandwidth demands, or the level of service needed for successful operation.
This approach worked well for simple network traffic but fell short when more sophisticated, latency-sensitive, or bandwidth-hungry applications became the norm. With business-critical applications, such as video conferencing, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), and cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, the network requirements are more complex. These applications require more than just a destination-based routing mechanism. They demand higher performance levels, minimal delays, and reliable throughput to function optimally.
Enter SD-WAN, which shifts the network management paradigm from basic destination-based routing to a more intelligent, application-aware approach. An SD-WAN solution is built on a software-defined architecture that allows for greater flexibility and adaptability when managing network traffic. The SD-WAN controller provides a centralized point of control and visibility into the performance of various network paths, enabling it to make more informed routing decisions.
Unlike traditional routing, where packets are merely routed to their destination, SD-WAN can consider a variety of factors when determining the best path for traffic. These factors include the type of application sending the data, its specific performance requirements, the current network conditions, and any predefined policies set by the network administrator. This allows for traffic to be dynamically routed based on the needs of the application rather than just the destination address.
In an SD-WAN environment, the network is no longer just a series of pathways to reach a destination; it becomes a highly flexible, intelligent system capable of responding to real-time conditions and application needs. This is a critical advantage when it comes to business-critical applications that demand high-performance connectivity. However, for this capability to be fully realized, business-critical applications must be well-defined and understood at the outset of an SD-WAN deployment.
Understanding Business-Critical Applications
Business-critical applications are those that are essential to the core functions of the organization. These applications, whether internal or cloud-based, support vital business processes such as communication, transaction processing, customer interactions, and financial operations. Examples include applications for customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), video conferencing, VoIP services, and cloud storage solutions. If these applications are not available or performing optimally, the business could face significant operational disruptions, financial losses, and damaged customer relationships.
For an SD-WAN deployment to succeed, each business-critical application must be treated according to its specific needs. This includes understanding not only the role of the application but also the precise network characteristics it requires to function properly. For example, real-time communication tools like VoIP or video conferencing demand low latency, high availability, and minimal packet loss. In contrast, a file transfer application or a desktop backup service may be more tolerant of network delays but require a higher bandwidth for optimal performance.
A key component of SD-WAN is its ability to support application-based traffic prioritization. By understanding the nature of different business-critical applications, SD-WAN controllers can ensure that network resources are allocated appropriately. For example, an SD-WAN solution can prioritize voice and video traffic over less time-sensitive traffic like file backups. This ensures that the most important applications always have access to the necessary bandwidth and network resources, even during periods of high network congestion.
SD-WAN’s Ability to Optimize Traffic for Business-Critical Applications
To fully harness the power of SD-WAN, it is essential to go beyond merely routing traffic to a destination and instead manage traffic according to the specific needs of each application. SD-WAN enables this through a combination of application-aware routing, performance monitoring, and policy-based traffic management.
Application-aware routing allows the SD-WAN solution to recognize different types of traffic and apply the appropriate policies based on predefined requirements. For example, an SD-WAN solution can detect that a packet belongs to a voice call, and it can then prioritize that packet over other less sensitive traffic, such as file downloads. This is accomplished by measuring real-time network conditions such as latency, jitter, and packet loss, which are crucial metrics for applications like voice and video. When the network conditions for a specific path degrade beyond a predefined threshold, the SD-WAN controller can automatically reroute the traffic to a more suitable path.
Moreover, the ability of SD-WAN to provide end-to-end visibility into network performance is a significant advantage when it comes to ensuring that business-critical applications function as required. SD-WAN controllers can continuously monitor the performance of all available network paths and make dynamic adjustments based on real-time data. This means that if a network path becomes unreliable due to high latency or packet loss, the controller can quickly reroute traffic to a more reliable connection without affecting application performance.
For example, if a branch office’s primary MPLS connection is experiencing latency issues, the SD-WAN solution can detect this problem and reroute voice traffic over a secondary broadband or LTE connection that offers lower latency and better performance. This dynamic path selection helps maintain the performance of critical applications, even when the underlying network infrastructure is facing issues.
Defining Policies for Business-Critical Applications
The true value of SD-WAN lies in the ability to define granular policies for different applications. These policies are used to specify how traffic should be handled based on the application’s needs and the network’s real-time conditions. By creating and enforcing application-level policies, businesses can ensure that their most critical applications always perform as expected.
For instance, consider the application of a voice-over-IP (VoIP) system. This type of application requires low latency, minimal jitter, and reliable packet delivery. A typical SD-WAN policy for VoIP might look like this:
- Maximum Latency: 150ms
- Maximum Jitter: 30ms
- Preferred Transport: MPLS (due to its reliability)
- Backup Transport: Broadband
- Application Priority: Highest
This policy ensures that VoIP traffic is always given the highest priority and is routed over the most reliable connection. If the primary MPLS circuit becomes congested or experiences issues, the SD-WAN solution will automatically reroute the VoIP traffic over the broadband connection, ensuring that voice calls are not dropped or degraded.
In contrast, a less time-sensitive application, such as desktop backup, has different requirements. While desktop backup may require significant bandwidth, it is not as sensitive to latency or jitter. A typical policy for desktop backup might look like this:
- Maximum Latency: N/A (latency is not a concern)
- Maximum Jitter: N/A
- Preferred Transport: Broadband
- Backup Transport: None
- Application Priority: Low
This policy ensures that the desktop backup application uses the most cost-effective connection, such as broadband, without affecting the performance of higher-priority applications like VoIP or video conferencing.
The Importance of Defining Business-Critical Applications
In conclusion, business-critical applications play a central role in the success of an SD-WAN deployment. By clearly defining these applications and understanding their specific network requirements, businesses can ensure that their SD-WAN solution is tailored to meet the unique needs of their most vital operations. With application-aware routing, performance monitoring, and policy-based traffic management, SD-WAN can optimize network performance, enhance application availability, and ultimately contribute to a more efficient and cost-effective network infrastructure.
As we move forward in this series on SD-WAN deployment, the next pillar we will explore is the security requirements necessary to protect these critical applications and the overall network. Understanding how SD-WAN enhances security will further highlight how businesses can rely on this technology to secure their operations while optimizing performance.
Security Requirements in SD-WAN Deployment
The importance of security in an SD-WAN deployment cannot be overstated. As businesses continue to embrace SD-WAN technology, the network landscape becomes more dynamic, and the need for robust security measures becomes even more critical. Unlike traditional WANs, which rely on private MPLS circuits, SD-WAN solutions often leverage public internet connections to route traffic between locations. This introduces new risks that must be carefully addressed to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the network and its associated data.
In this part, we will examine the security requirements essential for a successful SD-WAN deployment, focusing on how SD-WAN enhances security, its built-in features, and the best practices to implement effective protection mechanisms. We will also explore how SD-WAN can be integrated into broader security frameworks and help businesses address the challenges posed by increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
The Shift in Network Security with SD-WAN
Traditionally, network security focused on securing the perimeter, with firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) used to protect the network from external threats. Traffic would pass through a centralized security gateway, typically located at the data center or headquarters, before being allowed to proceed to its destination. This security architecture worked well for a centralized network model but was not designed for a decentralized, cloud-driven environment where branch offices, remote users, and cloud applications are accessing the network from various locations around the world.
SD-WAN technology changes this model by allowing direct internet access for branch offices and remote users, bypassing traditional backhaul routes through the central data center. While this reduces latency and improves network performance, it also opens up potential security vulnerabilities. Now, businesses must protect data that traverses the public internet and ensure that sensitive information remains secure even when it travels through unsecured or shared networks.
To address these concerns, SD-WAN solutions include advanced security features such as end-to-end encryption, secure tunneling, and the ability to integrate with other security tools like next-generation firewalls (NGFW), secure web gateways (SWG), and advanced threat protection systems. This multi-layered approach helps ensure that data is protected throughout its journey across the network, regardless of the underlying transport medium.
Encryption and Secure Tunneling
One of the most fundamental security features of SD-WAN is the ability to encrypt traffic between branch offices, data centers, and remote users. Encryption ensures that data transmitted across the network is unreadable to anyone who might intercept it. In a typical SD-WAN deployment, all data packets are encrypted before being sent over the internet, ensuring that sensitive information remains confidential even when it is transmitted across public networks.
SD-WAN solutions use various encryption protocols, including IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), to secure traffic. The encryption process involves using algorithms to transform readable data into an unreadable format, which can only be decrypted by the receiving device or network node. This prevents unauthorized third parties from accessing the contents of the data during transit, thus protecting the business from data breaches and cyberattacks.
In addition to encryption, SD-WAN solutions use secure tunneling to create private, encrypted “tunnels” between sites. These tunnels enable secure communication between locations, even over unsecured public networks like the internet. Secure tunneling provides an added layer of protection, ensuring that data can flow freely across the network without exposing it to potential threats.
This ability to establish secure tunnels for internet-based communication is especially important for businesses that operate in highly regulated industries, such as healthcare, finance, and government, where data protection and compliance are paramount. By leveraging SD-WAN’s built-in encryption and secure tunneling capabilities, businesses can maintain compliance with industry standards like HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI-DSS.
Integration with Next-Generation Firewalls
SD-WAN is designed to work in tandem with next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) to enhance security by inspecting traffic for threats and ensuring that only authorized users and devices can access the network. Traditional firewalls were designed to examine network traffic at a high level, usually based on port numbers or IP addresses. However, modern NGFWs go further by inspecting traffic at a deeper level, identifying and blocking malicious activity based on the application, user identity, or even the content within the traffic.
Next-generation firewalls play a crucial role in SD-WAN deployments by providing real-time protection against cyber threats, including malware, ransomware, and other malicious traffic. They can inspect encrypted traffic, analyze data patterns, and apply security policies that restrict access to specific applications, networks, or users. NGFWs can also enforce security policies based on user roles, ensuring that only authorized users can access sensitive information and systems.
For example, an NGFW could be configured to block access to unauthorized cloud applications or restrict access to critical systems based on a user’s role within the organization. This level of granularity ensures that security is applied intelligently and dynamically, protecting the network while allowing legitimate business traffic to flow seamlessly.
Moreover, integrating NGFWs with SD-WAN allows businesses to monitor traffic in real time and take immediate action in response to security threats. If a suspicious activity or potential threat is detected, the SD-WAN solution can automatically reroute traffic, initiate additional security measures, or block access to compromised locations to prevent further damage.
Zero Trust Security Model
As part of its security framework, SD-WAN also supports the implementation of a Zero Trust security model. In a traditional network security model, trust was granted based on the network location (i.e., inside the corporate network was trusted, while outside was untrusted). However, with the rise of remote work, cloud computing, and decentralized networks, this model has become outdated and ineffective.
The Zero Trust security model assumes that no device, user, or application—whether inside or outside the network—is inherently trusted. Instead, every access request is verified, authenticated, and authorized before being allowed to proceed. In an SD-WAN deployment, this means that every user, device, and application attempting to access the network must first prove its identity, and network access is granted only based on strict policies that govern what each user or application can do.
By adopting Zero Trust principles, SD-WAN ensures that all network traffic is continuously monitored, access is granted based on explicit policies, and sensitive resources are only accessible to those who are authorized. This approach significantly reduces the risk of data breaches and insider threats, as it eliminates the assumption of trust and requires verification at every stage of the network connection.
Secure Internet Breakout
One of the primary advantages of SD-WAN is its ability to allow direct internet access from branch offices and remote locations. Traditionally, internet traffic from branch offices would be sent through the central data center, creating a bottleneck and increasing latency. However, SD-WAN enables secure internet breakouts, allowing traffic to be securely routed directly to the internet from the branch office or remote site.
While this improves network performance by reducing latency and traffic congestion, it also introduces security risks. To address these risks, SD-WAN solutions typically include integrated security features, such as secure web gateways (SWGs), that inspect and filter internet-bound traffic for potential threats. These tools ensure that branch offices and remote users can securely access the internet and cloud applications without exposing the network to malicious websites or cyberattacks.
Secure internet breakouts also enable businesses to enforce web access policies, such as blocking access to certain websites or applications, ensuring compliance with industry regulations, and protecting against phishing attacks and malware. By implementing secure internet breakouts in an SD-WAN environment, businesses can improve both network performance and security, ensuring that remote locations have secure, fast, and reliable access to the internet.
Monitoring and Real-Time Threat Detection
In an SD-WAN environment, continuous monitoring and real-time threat detection are essential for maintaining network security. SD-WAN solutions provide visibility into network traffic, enabling administrators to monitor performance and identify potential threats in real time. This visibility is particularly important in detecting and mitigating attacks such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, ransomware, and data exfiltration.
By leveraging network analytics, machine learning, and behavioral analysis, SD-WAN solutions can detect anomalies in network traffic that may indicate a security breach or malicious activity. For example, if a user begins accessing a large volume of data outside of their usual behavior patterns, the SD-WAN solution can flag this activity and alert administrators to investigate further.
Real-time monitoring also allows for immediate response to security incidents. If an attack is detected, the SD-WAN controller can automatically take action to mitigate the threat, such as rerouting traffic, blocking compromised devices, or initiating additional security measures like rate limiting or access control.
Security is a fundamental pillar of a successful SD-WAN deployment, and it must be addressed from the outset of the project. SD-WAN solutions offer advanced security features that protect business-critical applications and data from a wide range of cyber threats. By leveraging encryption, secure tunneling, next-generation firewalls, Zero Trust principles, secure internet breakouts, and real-time threat detection, businesses can ensure that their SD-WAN deployment is both efficient and secure.
As the security landscape continues to evolve, businesses must adopt a multi-layered security approach to address emerging threats and ensure the integrity of their networks. With proper security measures in place, SD-WAN can provide significant performance improvements and cost savings without sacrificing the security of the network. In the next part of this series, we will explore the critical aspect of site connectivity and how to prioritize locations within an SD-WAN deployment.
Site Connectivity and Prioritizing Locations in SD-WAN Deployment
A crucial aspect of a successful SD-WAN deployment is determining how site connectivity should be structured and managed. The network’s architecture must be optimized not only for performance but also for cost-effectiveness and reliability. In an SD-WAN environment, a key factor in making these decisions is the ability to manage multiple, diverse network connections, from private MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) circuits to more cost-effective broadband or LTE options.
Given the diversity in site requirements, the goal of SD-WAN is to allow the network to dynamically adapt and route traffic based on real-time conditions, application needs, and priority of each location. This flexibility provides significant advantages in terms of performance and cost management. However, to achieve the full potential of SD-WAN, businesses need to clearly define their site connectivity strategies, taking into account both the performance needs and the relative importance of each location in the broader network.
In this section, we will explore the factors influencing site connectivity, how SD-WAN enhances this process, and the critical considerations for prioritizing the network’s locations.
Understanding Site Connectivity in SD-WAN
Site connectivity refers to the various ways in which branch offices, remote locations, and data centers are connected to the SD-WAN network. In an SD-WAN solution, these locations can be connected through a variety of circuit types, each with different performance characteristics and costs. The most common options include:
- MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching): MPLS is a high-performance, reliable private connection that offers low latency, guaranteed bandwidth, and secure transport. However, it is often more expensive than broadband or other public internet options.
- Broadband Internet: Broadband internet offers an affordable and scalable option for connecting remote sites and branch offices. While it is less reliable than MPLS and can experience higher latency, SD-WAN technology can mitigate these issues by dynamically routing traffic based on real-time performance metrics.
- LTE and 5G: Cellular connections are becoming increasingly popular for remote sites or temporary locations. LTE and 5G offer flexibility and mobility but are typically higher in latency and subject to fluctuating network conditions.
- Fiber and Metro Ethernet: These are high-bandwidth, low-latency options commonly used for larger branch offices or headquarters. They provide consistent performance and scalability but can be more expensive than broadband.
SD-WAN solutions allow these diverse types of connections to be treated as a single pool of network resources. Through intelligent path selection, the SD-WAN controller can dynamically choose the best route for each application based on its performance needs and the current network conditions. This is where the concept of application-aware routing becomes crucial. Each location’s connectivity is used most effectively by considering both the cost and performance needs of each application, alongside the availability of each circuit type.
Dynamic Path Selection and Optimization
One of the standout features of SD-WAN is its ability to dynamically select the best path for each application, ensuring that the most appropriate circuit is used based on real-time network performance. This dynamic path selection optimizes network performance by adjusting routing decisions based on metrics such as:
- Latency: The amount of time it takes for data to travel from the source to the destination. Time-sensitive applications such as VoIP and video conferencing are particularly sensitive to high latency.
- Packet Loss: The loss of data packets during transmission. For critical applications like voice and video, packet loss can severely impact quality.
- Jitter: The variation in delay in packet arrival times. Jitter can distort real-time applications like voice and video, making them less usable.
- Bandwidth Availability: The total data transfer capacity of a connection. Applications with heavy data demands, such as file transfers or backups, require a high level of available bandwidth.
SD-WAN allows the network to evaluate these parameters in real-time and select the best available path for each application. For instance, if a primary MPLS connection experiences higher latency or packet loss than usual, the SD-WAN solution can automatically route traffic over a secondary broadband or LTE connection to ensure consistent performance. Conversely, if a less critical application, like a file transfer, does not require high performance, it can be routed over a lower-cost, lower-priority connection.
This flexibility means that SD-WAN allows businesses to mix and match various circuit types and optimize them for specific use cases. It also allows for better resource utilization, enabling high-performance connections to be prioritized for critical applications, while less important traffic is relegated to lower-cost connections.
Prioritizing Locations Based on Their Role
Not all sites in a network have the same level of importance or require the same level of network performance. In an SD-WAN deployment, businesses must consider each location’s role in the overall network and prioritize accordingly. Prioritizing sites ensures that the most important locations get the network resources they need for optimal performance while optimizing costs for less critical sites.
Headquarters and Data Centers
The most important locations in any organization are typically the headquarters and data centers, as these are the core of operations. These sites handle critical business functions, such as hosting enterprise applications, supporting internal communications, and connecting with customers and partners. As a result, these sites require the most reliable, high-performance connectivity.
For these critical locations, businesses will often prioritize high-performance circuits like MPLS or dedicated fiber connections to ensure low latency, high availability, and guaranteed bandwidth. SD-WAN solutions can leverage these premium connections to deliver the best possible performance for business-critical applications such as ERP systems, customer databases, and video conferencing tools.
Branch Offices and Remote Locations
Branch offices, remote locations, and satellite offices typically don’t require the same level of performance as the headquarters or data centers, but they still need reliable connectivity to support day-to-day operations. These locations often rely on more cost-effective solutions like broadband or LTE for connectivity.
For these locations, SD-WAN allows businesses to dynamically manage traffic to ensure that the most important applications get the bandwidth they need, even when using lower-cost connections. For instance, a remote office may rely on broadband for internet access but can still ensure that critical applications, such as VoIP or CRM systems, receive priority over less important tasks, like large file transfers or data backups.
By prioritizing the criticality of each site, businesses can deploy SD-WAN in a way that ensures the network resources are allocated appropriately. For less important sites, cost-effective connections can be used, while ensuring that the critical applications still receive the necessary performance.
Remote Workers and Cloud Access
With the rise of remote work and cloud-based applications, it is also essential to consider the connectivity needs of remote users and cloud services. As the workforce becomes more decentralized, businesses need to ensure that remote employees and cloud applications can connect securely and reliably to the corporate network.
SD-WAN provides a solution to this challenge by offering secure internet breakouts. These breakouts enable remote users to securely access the internet and cloud services directly from their location, without having to route all traffic through the central data center. This reduces latency and improves network performance for remote workers, who can now access cloud-based applications more efficiently.
For cloud-based applications, SD-WAN enables businesses to select the most efficient path to access cloud services based on real-time performance metrics. This is particularly important as more organizations migrate to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications, which are hosted in the cloud. SD-WAN ensures that access to these services is reliable, secure, and optimized for performance.
Cost Management Through Site Prioritization
One of the most significant advantages of SD-WAN is its ability to optimize cost management by intelligently utilizing available network circuits. MPLS and dedicated fiber connections can be expensive, and businesses should aim to use these premium circuits only for locations and applications that require them. For less critical sites, businesses can rely on more affordable broadband, LTE, or fiber connections.
Through intelligent path selection, SD-WAN ensures that expensive, high-performance connections are reserved for critical applications at priority locations, while cost-effective broadband or LTE connections are used for lower-priority traffic. This allows businesses to balance performance and cost, ensuring that the network is both reliable and cost-efficient.
By evaluating the performance and criticality of each site, businesses can strategically deploy SD-WAN in a way that maximizes the value of each circuit, ensuring that the network delivers the right level of performance at the right cost.
Site connectivity and prioritization of locations are integral components of a successful SD-WAN deployment. SD-WAN allows businesses to manage multiple types of connections dynamically, ensuring that the most critical applications receive the best possible performance while optimizing costs for less important traffic. Through intelligent path selection, businesses can ensure that their network resources are allocated efficiently and effectively.
As SD-WAN continues to evolve, the ability to prioritize sites and applications based on their importance will remain a key factor in maximizing the benefits of this technology. In the final part of this series, we will explore the critical aspect of circuit cost and availability, and how businesses can leverage SD-WAN to reduce network costs while ensuring reliable connectivity.
Circuit Cost and Availability in SD-WAN Deployment
In our SD-WAN deployment series, we will address the often-overlooked yet critical aspect of circuit cost and availability. While performance optimization, security, and site prioritization are vital components of a successful SD-WAN deployment, it is equally important to ensure that the underlying network infrastructure is cost-effective and reliable. Businesses must consider how to balance network costs with performance requirements to maintain a cost-efficient yet resilient network.
SD-WAN technology provides significant cost-saving opportunities by allowing organizations to replace expensive, dedicated private circuits such as MPLS with more affordable broadband and internet connections. However, cost savings should not come at the expense of reliability or performance. In this section, we will explore the strategies for managing circuit costs, ensuring availability, and optimizing the performance of SD-WAN in the context of varying connectivity options.
The Cost Implications of Traditional WAN Architecture
Before diving into the benefits of SD-WAN, it’s important to understand the cost structure of traditional WAN architectures. Traditional wide-area networks (WANs) rely heavily on dedicated, private circuits like MPLS to connect branch offices, remote locations, and data centers. While MPLS provides a high level of reliability, low latency, and security, it is also expensive, especially for large enterprises with many branch offices.
MPLS circuits typically charge businesses based on bandwidth and distance, making them particularly costly when connecting remote or international locations. For enterprises with a global presence or a need to scale quickly, the cost of maintaining a traditional WAN can quickly become prohibitive. This is where SD-WAN offers significant cost savings by allowing businesses to leverage more affordable public internet connections for non-critical traffic while still maintaining performance for business-critical applications.
Cost Reduction with SD-WAN
SD-WAN enables businesses to create a hybrid WAN environment, where multiple types of circuits—such as MPLS, broadband internet, LTE, and fiber—can be used in tandem. This allows organizations to take advantage of the cost benefits of broadband internet while still retaining the reliability of MPLS for critical applications.
In SD-WAN deployments, traffic is dynamically routed based on predefined policies that prioritize performance and cost-efficiency. For example, critical applications like VoIP or video conferencing can be routed over high-performance, low-latency MPLS circuits, while less time-sensitive applications, such as software updates or file backups, can be sent over more affordable broadband internet connections.
This intelligent traffic management helps businesses optimize their network costs by using premium circuits only where necessary, while cost-effective broadband or LTE connections are used for other traffic. For many businesses, this model allows for a significant reduction in network costs, as broadband connections are typically much less expensive than dedicated MPLS circuits.
Moreover, the ability to use multiple broadband connections—whether from different ISPs or using LTE/5G failover—further enhances cost savings. Broadband connections can be used as primary links for remote or smaller offices, while MPLS can be reserved for larger offices or mission-critical applications.
Ensuring Network Availability
While cost savings are a significant benefit of SD-WAN, availability and reliability should always be top priorities. For SD-WAN to be successful, businesses must ensure that their chosen circuits are not only cost-effective but also available when needed. Network downtime or unreliable connections can lead to productivity losses, decreased customer satisfaction, and even reputational damage.
One of the key advantages of SD-WAN technology is its ability to ensure continuous network availability, even in the event of a circuit failure. In traditional WANs, if an MPLS link goes down, the entire network can be affected until the issue is resolved. In an SD-WAN deployment, however, the network can automatically reroute traffic over available secondary links, such as broadband or LTE, to ensure that applications remain accessible.
This automatic failover capability is made possible by SD-WAN’s ability to continuously monitor the health and performance of all available circuits. Using real-time metrics such as latency, packet loss, and jitter, the SD-WAN controller can determine the best route for each application and switch paths as needed. This ensures that traffic is always routed over the most reliable connection, minimizing downtime and ensuring a seamless user experience.
For example, if an MPLS circuit becomes unavailable or its performance degrades beyond acceptable levels, SD-WAN can automatically switch traffic to an internet-based broadband connection or LTE. This seamless failover process ensures that users and applications are not impacted by network disruptions.
Managing Circuit Availability Through Redundancy
Another critical consideration in SD-WAN deployments is the redundancy of circuit connections. Redundancy ensures that if one connection fails, the network can continue to operate without disruption. In the context of SD-WAN, businesses can deploy redundant circuits across different ISPs, locations, or even connection types to ensure high availability.
By leveraging multiple internet connections from different ISPs, businesses can further improve their network’s resilience. For example, if one ISP experiences an outage or slow performance, the SD-WAN solution can automatically switch traffic to the backup ISP without any disruption. This level of redundancy helps maintain service availability, even in the face of network issues that might otherwise lead to downtime.
Similarly, SD-WAN can integrate LTE or 5G connections as failover options for sites where broadband internet or MPLS is not available or fails. This flexibility ensures that businesses are never entirely dependent on a single connection, further reducing the risk of downtime and ensuring continuous access to applications and data.
Balancing Cost and Performance
One of the primary goals of SD-WAN is to strike a balance between cost and performance. While businesses aim to reduce their network costs, it is equally important to ensure that performance meets the needs of business-critical applications. For many businesses, this means ensuring that high-priority applications, such as VoIP, video conferencing, and ERP systems, are given top priority for performance, even if that means using more expensive circuits like MPLS.
At the same time, non-critical applications—such as software updates, large file transfers, or web browsing—can be routed over more affordable broadband connections, reducing overall network costs. By segmenting traffic in this way, businesses can ensure that they are making the most efficient use of their network resources while maintaining the required performance levels for critical applications.
SD-WAN provides the flexibility to manage these trade-offs through its centralized controller, which allows businesses to define policies for each application. For example, businesses can define the maximum acceptable latency, jitter, and packet loss for voice traffic and prioritize it on the most reliable and lowest-latency path, such as MPLS. Similarly, backup traffic, which is less time-sensitive, can be sent over broadband connections, allowing businesses to reduce costs without sacrificing performance for critical applications.
Cost-Effective Scaling
In addition to reducing the costs of network circuits, SD-WAN also enables businesses to scale their networks more cost-effectively. In traditional WANs, scaling often involved adding additional MPLS circuits, which can be expensive and time-consuming to implement. With SD-WAN, businesses can quickly and easily add new locations or increase bandwidth by leveraging broadband internet or other low-cost circuits.
The ability to use broadband and LTE connections to scale the network ensures that businesses can expand their operations without incurring the high costs associated with traditional WAN upgrades. As the business grows and additional branch offices or remote workers are added, SD-WAN makes it easy to integrate new locations into the network, simply by installing SD-WAN appliances or using cloud-based SD-WAN solutions.
Moreover, SD-WAN’s ability to manage traffic across multiple types of connections means that businesses can avoid over-provisioning bandwidth, which can result in unnecessary costs. Instead of provisioning high-cost MPLS circuits for every site, SD-WAN allows businesses to scale according to actual performance needs, ensuring that they are paying for only the bandwidth they require.
In conclusion, the effective management of circuit cost and availability is a critical component of a successful SD-WAN deployment. SD-WAN enables businesses to reduce network costs by leveraging more affordable broadband and LTE connections while maintaining the reliability and performance of more expensive MPLS circuits for critical applications. The ability to dynamically manage traffic, ensure automatic failover, and deploy redundant circuits enhances network availability and resilience, ensuring that businesses can continue to operate without disruption.
By balancing the cost of circuits with the performance needs of different applications, businesses can optimize their SD-WAN infrastructure to deliver the best possible results in terms of both performance and cost-efficiency. As the network landscape continues to evolve, SD-WAN will play a pivotal role in helping businesses manage the complexities of connectivity while maintaining a secure, high-performance, and cost-effective network.
With these key considerations in mind, businesses can achieve a successful SD-WAN deployment that enhances network performance, ensures application availability, and drives cost savings.
Final Thoughts
As we conclude this series on SD-WAN deployment, it is clear that the success of an SD-WAN initiative hinges on careful planning and execution across several key pillars. By understanding and addressing the four fundamental aspects—business-critical applications, security, site connectivity and prioritization, and circuit cost and availability—businesses can fully harness the power of SD-WAN to optimize their networks, improve performance, and reduce costs.
- Business-Critical Applications: Defining and understanding the unique requirements of critical applications is paramount. SD-WAN’s application-aware routing capabilities ensure that these applications receive the necessary performance, even in a hybrid or multi-circuit environment. By intelligently routing traffic based on application needs, businesses can ensure optimal performance while avoiding network congestion.
- Security: Security must be an integral part of the SD-WAN design. SD-WAN not only provides robust encryption and secure tunneling but also integrates seamlessly with other security tools, including next-generation firewalls and secure web gateways. With the rising threat landscape, SD-WAN’s ability to ensure data protection and enforce policies across diverse networks is invaluable.
- Site Connectivity and Prioritization: Not all sites in the network are equal in terms of performance needs and criticality. SD-WAN enables businesses to prioritize resources based on the role and requirements of each location, ensuring that high-priority applications receive the bandwidth and reliability they need. Additionally, SD-WAN’s dynamic path selection allows businesses to seamlessly route traffic over the best available connection, improving both performance and cost-efficiency.
- Circuit Cost and Availability: Cost savings are one of the most attractive benefits of SD-WAN, and the ability to leverage multiple types of connections—such as MPLS, broadband, and LTE—enables businesses to reduce network costs without sacrificing performance. At the same time, ensuring network availability through failover, redundancy, and continuous monitoring guarantees that performance remains uninterrupted even in the face of disruptions.
By combining all these elements into a cohesive SD-WAN strategy, businesses can achieve a high-performance network that is agile, secure, cost-effective, and scalable. SD-WAN’s ability to optimize both traffic routing and circuit selection based on real-time network conditions offers a level of flexibility and control that traditional networking models simply cannot match.
Ultimately, a well-executed SD-WAN deployment empowers businesses to keep pace with the increasing demands of cloud applications, remote work, and data-driven operations. It lays the foundation for a more resilient, future-proof network infrastructure that supports both today’s needs and tomorrow’s growth.
As organizations continue to adopt SD-WAN technology, they must ensure that the deployment is aligned with their business goals, taking into account the specific performance, security, and connectivity requirements of their applications and locations. The potential for cost savings and enhanced performance is immense, but only with careful planning and attention to these key pillars.
In conclusion, SD-WAN is more than just a technological shift; it is a strategic enabler that can transform an organization’s approach to networking. By focusing on the critical areas outlined in this series—application performance, security, site connectivity, and circuit optimization—businesses can unlock the full value of SD-WAN, ensuring a successful deployment that enhances their network’s efficiency, security, and reliability.