Five ways SD-WAN technology can boost efficiency – without the IT headaches

  • Home
  • Networking
  • Five ways SD-WAN technology can boost efficiency – without the IT headaches
SD-WAN

What Is SD-WAN

As technically explained by our partner RAY, Software-defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) is the application of software-based network technologies that virtualize WAN connections to provide agility, performance and reliability for network traffic between remote and branch offices to data centers, cloud and cloud hosted apps (SaaS and IaaS).

In layman’s language, assuming your company has different branches in different locations. All the branches use different internet connections.  SD-WAN enable company  interconnectivity by allowing the use a single internet connection in different locations. Typically you can manage different internet setting from a central location like the main branch.

In this article, we highlight how SD-WAN makes running your business easy and efficiently.

Improves performance.

 Not all network traffic is created equal. Luckily, SD-WAN can be configured to prioritize business-critical traffic and real-time services like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and then effectively steer it over the most efficient route. By facilitating critical applications through reliable, high performance connections, IT teams can help reduce packet loss and latency issues, thereby improving employee productivity, and boosting staff morale. This is performance with business impact

Boosts security. 

Digital transformation is a double-edged sword. While it can improve customer satisfaction and extend market reach, it can also expose an organization to significant security risks. That’s a concern, given that there has been an increase in the frequency of cybersecurity in the past years. The good news is many SD-WAN solutions offer built-in security. We recommend you look for SD-WAN solutions that provide a wide range of integrated security features, such as NGFW, IPS, encryption, AV, and sandboxing capabilities that can help prevent data loss, downtime, regulatory violations, and legal liabilities.

Lowers complexity. 

Digital transformation initiatives can add layers of complexity to a network. The result is not only a risk of poor network performance, but over-taxed IT teams and the need for locating onsite personnel at remote sites to manage the local IT infrastructure. Fortunately, SD-WAN can ease the IT burden by simplifying WAN infrastructure, using broadband to off-load non-critical business apps, automating monitoring tasks, and managing traffic through a centralized controller. Consider looking for an SD-WAN solution that can also be integrated into the local branch infrastructure to drive security and management deep into the local LAN.\

Enables cloud usage. 

Organizations are increasingly adopting cloud services. The good news is that SD-WAN enables direct cloud access at the remote branch, thereby eliminating backhauling traffic – routing all cloud and branch office traffic through the data center – meaning that workers can directly access cloud applications regardless of location without burdening the core network with additional traffic to manage and secure. What’s more, SD-WAN improves cloud application performance by prioritizing business critical applications and enabling branches to directly communicate to the Internet.

Reduces costs. 

As organizations deploy an ever-increasing array of cloud-based applications, the amount of data traveling over a WAN increases exponentially, increasing operating costs. Fortunately, SD-WAN can reduce this price tag by leveraging low cost local Internet access, providing direct cloud access, and reducing the amount of traffic over the backbone WAN. 

Would you like to experience SD-WAN? Schedule A Demo

Source: Fortinet

Leave A Comment

Contact Information

TCC Building Trepiano Waaberi - 7th Floor Mogadishu Somalia
(+254) 111180000 / 020 440 4074
Mon - Fri: 8am - 5pm