Digital Transformation with SD WAN

Today’s legacy WAN architecture is very rigid and inflexible. As enterprises adopt cloud-based applications, they require high performance and secure, reliable connectivity to the cloud from all locations. 

SD-WAN provides a network overlay over various transport underlay links that can improve network uptime, provides for application prioritization via quality of service policies, offers Internet security and centralized network monitoring and management.

IT and business managers can now migrate their legacy WAN to a distributed SD WAN network which is less complex, more flexible and easier to manage. They can combine SD WAN with next generation security services and network connectivity solutions delivering significant CAPEX and OPEX savings while improving performance across the WAN.

Consolidating SD WAN into Branch SD WAN:

Many customer sites have several networking equipment and security appliances at their branch sites to manage. The network equipment includes routers, wireless access points, firewalls, unified threat management systems and WAN optimization. The security appliances at the branch includes IP VPNs, secure web gateways, intrusion detection and prevention systems and next-generation firewalls. These networking equipment and appliances, with their overlapping functionality which often come from different vendors, create additional operational complexity at the branch.

Some SD-Branch solutions can consolidate all of these into a single system to reduce networking and security appliances clutter and save money.

SD WAN Benefits

Internet Bandwidth Economics

Utilizing low cost alternative broadband internet connectivity (DIA, ISP broadband, 4G LTW) either replacing or augmenting expensive private MPLS connections

Application Prioritization

Ability to recognize, prioritize and steer trusted well known trusted SaaS cloud-based applications at branch level versus at the hub level Internet gateway

Network security and compliance

Integrating WAN optimization, NAC, stateful firewall features combined with security service chaining services allows to sand-box rouge network devices and route malicious traffic to either a Secure WEB Gateway (Zscaler) or centralized NGFW at the hub center or to a cloud-based Cyber Security services for further analysis.  

Centralized orchestration, monitoring and management

More elements can be monitored than a traditional WAN router. Vendors provide API capabilities to extend other types of monitoring services.

Zero-touch provisioning

Deploy a new branch or remote location online in a matter of minutes, with no specialized IT expertise required at the branch.  A policy is defined once, then is automatically distributed to all devices in the SD-WAN.

Why choose SAFER-ITS?

Not all SD WANs are the same.  The number of technology providers competing for enterprise SD-WAN market are increasing by numbers every year. Selecting the best fit SD WAN vendor or managed service provider is always critical for any complex technology decisions. How do IT leaders know which SD WAN approach is right? Should they do it themselves (DIY) or buy it as a managed service? Or maybe go a hybrid comanaged version would be a better choice?

It all depends on the organization IT resources and expertise and their end goal with SD WAN deployment. SAFER-ITS can help you select the right SD-WAN vendor and the right support that best meets your current and near future requirements. We can position SD WAN solutions directly with TOP SD-WAN technology providers or source it via a managed SD-WAN service provider such as AT&T, Verizon, CenturyLink, Comcast and many others.

We will help you integrate SD-WAN into your existing branch/WAN infrastructure and develop an enterprise networking environment that is less complex, more flexible and easier to manage.

SD WAN Solution Workshop Practice:

In our practice, we evaluate your enterprise branch networking, security and application requirements to consolidate SD WAN into Branch SD WAN solution.

  1. Review current LAN/WAN architecture – including topology, routers, switches, VoIP systems, wireless access points, firewalls, unified threat management systems and WAN optimization.
  2. Review security appliances at the branch sites – IP VPNs, secure web gateways, intrusion detection and prevention systems and next-generation firewalls.
  3. Review branch networking application requirements (Web and SOA apps, SaaS apps such as O365, salesforce CRM, and mission critical applications)
  4. Plan and migrate to SD-Branch – many customer sites have several equipment to manage the network and security appliances that can be consolidate into a single Branch SD WAN appliance to reduce the clutter and save money.
  5. Select the SD-WAN vendor that best meets their current and near future requirements.
  6. Do you have the IT staffing in-house to manage the deployment and the resources to re-architecting WAN connections to branch and remote sites?
  7. Identify WAN access service packages that provide some type of backup for network resiliency by bundling multiple types of broadband connections, private-link MPLS and even mobile or LTE services.
  8. Ability to locate carrier-neutral colocation services
  9. Find innovative low-cost connectivity options
  10. Provide a commercial vs service provider model to scale at global level (like Megaport)