What is SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN)

SD-WAN full form is a software-defined wide area network. WAN offers a connection between LANs over a large geographical distance ranging from a few kilometers to a few thousand kilometers.

What software-defined wide area network means that the WAN is available virtually. It is managed and configured programmatically; therefore, it is easy to deploy and adapt quickly to an organization's ever-changing needs.

What is SD-WAN technology?

SD-WAN means a virtual service that connects remote offices over a large geographical area. With the growing needs of an organization, they have switched to using the public cloud and SaaS applications. Using a traditional WAN is no longer feasible. All the traffic from the headquarters, branch offices, and the cloud has resulted in heavy traffic across the network and lowered performance.

SD-WAN technology uses the internet, VPNs, MPLS, broadband, and wireless connections to connect users from different locations and remote offices to the headquarters. SD-WAN allows users at remote locations to work by accessing services, resources, and applications. SD-WAN technology optimizes the connection and offers high speed by monitoring and managing the traffic in the WAN connection.

Working Of SD-WAN

WAN full form in the computer is Wide Area Network. Traditionally a wide area network was used to connect remote offices and users to a central data center that hosted all the data.

What is WAN?

Looking for the area network definition? In IT, it is defined as a network that expands over a large geographical area.

The connectivity between different workstations and the data center happens via routers, with each router telling where the data needs to go. An administrator determined the data path by writing policies and rules for each router, which was time-consuming and prone to errors.

SD-WAN solves the issue by separating the management and control process from the network's hardware, making the service available as software for anyone looking for WAN services. Administrators can write new policies and rules with centralized control and then deploy them across the entire WAN network.

Features Of SD-WAN

SD-WAN has several features that determine its working. Let us take a look at them.

Centralized Control

The control of the SD-WAN is centralized, which most often is on a public cloud in the form of a SaaS application. Control is separate from the hardware, which simplifies the management of the network and the uptime. All the devices connected on the SD-WAN or the virtual devices all follow the rules made by the centralized controller. There is no need to manage every separate router, which reduces the chances of error.

Automatic Path Selection

SD-WAN automatically selects the path for a data packet considering the traffic on every route and the network conditions. If any of the links are not working or have heavy traffic, then the data packets are steered to a different link to balance out the traffic. Also, it identifies the source and destination, user, and application of the data packets to make a more appropriate path selection based on those choices.

Quality of service policy

SD-WAN offers management based on policies. It has a quality of service policy that determines the data packet's path by steering the network traffic on a certain route. The policy also helps determine the level of priority of a data packet.

Any new changes to the policy are made rules which are then downloaded across all the gateways and SD-WAN routers.

Tying Services Together

Another feature of an SD-WAN is the ability to tie multiple services together for optimizing performance. Combining WAN network to SD-WAN and internet traffic to a VPN are ways to offer better performance with improved security and reduced cost.

SD-WAN Benefits

Let us take a look at the benefits offered by SD-WAN.

Cost-Effective

Using SD-WAN helps save a lot of costs. You can move all the noncritical traffic on the WAN from private and high-cost MPLS links to broadband internet, which is lower cost. Since the management in an SD-WAN is policy-based and centralized, there is no need to reconfigure routers individually.

Service and maintenance are centralized, which means no more traveling to remote locations to solve any issue, saving a lot of money and time.

Quick

A quick to deploy service is the need of today's fast-moving businesses. There is a need to change the WAN services or deploy a new one with every new change. With SD-WAN, you can complete tasks in minutes that took hours before.

Setting up a network at a new office or location is easier and quicker with SD-WAN with an SD-WAN appliance that connects the local network to the central SD-WAN for configuration and bringing the system online.

Performance

Improvement in the overall network's performance is another benefit of using SD-WAN. The traffic is managed in real-time by routing packers to a specific path by continuously checking each link's health. Data packets of high priority are routed through paths that are not congested and secure.

What is the requirement of the wide-area network?

Before choosing a WAN, you must ensure that it evolves with your changing requirements. What applications do you use now, or may you use in the coming future? What performance level do you require now or will you need in the future? In case of a conflict, what are the top priority applications?

The requirements of a wide area network depend solely on the traffic. Better to understand the characteristics of the traffic on your network before selecting a WAN. Use empirical data test assumptions for bandwidth needs and the priority of data.

Keep in mind the regular needs as well as the peak time needs. Use WAN performance measurement tools to check the requirements of WAN. There are several free tools available for that.

The main challenge with setting up a WAN is maintaining the performance level. Identify the best solution for your needs, whether MPLS, SD-WAN, or a hybrid.

Since most of the work happens on the cloud using SaaS applications, switching to a WAN might be the best option for you. But only if the bandwidth requirement is for empirical data; otherwise, you will be paying more cost than your requirements.

By using the right network, you can have faster performance and security. You can take the advice of experts of SD-WAN and get the best suitable service for you.

Advantages and Disadvantages of WAN

There are many advantages of WAN, and let us look at some of them.

• WAN wide area network covers a large area geographically, about 1000 kilometers or more. Businesses with offices at different locations can have a WAN setup to communicate between offices.
• Using WAN allows the different users or workstations to share applications, software, and resources. You can set up a headquarter with all the resources, and all your offices in remote locations can have access to them.
• Using WAN, all the users can share the software and get all the updated software and files from the servers. It avoids any of them using the outdated or previous version mistakenly.
• Message exchange has advanced a lot using WAN services. With the IoT or Internet of Things and LAN advancement, you can see a lot of growth in WAN devices. It allows users to quickly send and share messages across the globe, using messaging applications like messenger from Facebook and WhatsApp.
• By using WAN, you get an assured uptime. You can get annually, quarterly, or weekly uptime from a WAN provider. No matter the industry, you get assured uptime.
• The backbone of a WAN network is leased lines. Leased lines ensure that there is increased bandwidth than a normal broadband connection. This helps improve the productivity of your business.
• WAN helps businesses grow globally. You can form a globally integrated network and reach global markets.

Disadvantages of WAN

• WAN is a network expanded over a large geographical area which means they have a complex structure. Initial installation cost is higher in WAN as it requires you to buy switches, routers, and security solutions.
• There are more elements and technology involved in WAN than other networks like LAN or MAN; therefore, it faces more security issues. The use of more technology can lead to a security gap, resulting in identity theft and malicious attacks on the network. Other than that, since WAN is spread over a wide area, hackers may use the network for unethical use.
• Since WAN has more security gaps than other networks, there is a need for more security solutions while using a WAN. The data transfer happens over a large area; hackers can also access the data. Every system connected on a WAN needs to have a firewall to keep hacking at bay. Also, there is a high risk of malicious attacks; using antivirus software is also a must.
• Since WAN covers a large area, it connects offices even remotely. Still, in remote areas, most often than not, there are no proper network structures or electricity problems, which creates disconnectivity issues for the customers
• Troubleshooting issues over a WAN can be a nightmare. Since the network is laid over a large geographic area, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact location and cause of the issue. Also, the wires used in WAN go from under the sea; repairing those can be of great difficulty.

Advantages Of Using SD-WAN

Cost Saving

MPLS or Multiprotocol label switching has been the main connectivity source between the remote locations in a WAN network. Some of the features of using MPLS are privacy, guaranteed bandwidth, and a predictable delay time. But the main problem with MPLS is its cost, and it is expensive and not available at several locations. Also, aloud connectivity is not achievable with MPLS.

SD-WAN uses broadband internet, which is available globally and costs less. Even though the internet network is unreliable and can not predict the latency, the cost makes it worth it. Using a hybrid of WAN and SD-WAN is a great approach. MPLS is used to send critical data, and the internet sends all the other data.

Easy Management

than cost-saving, the ease of maintaining complex networks using SD-WAN is another advantage.

With a growing network, the complexity also increases, and so does the task of maintaining it. Hybrid WANs and cloud-based applications add to the complexity of the network, which is not feasible to manage using traditional management methods.

With traditional WAN, it used to take up a lot of an administrator configuring gateways and routers. Setting up a new site is also used to reduce productivity.

SD-WAN offers easy management using centralized control by policies and rules made by an administrator. It also speeds up the process of setting up new equipment or site at a remote location with zero-touch provisioning.

Improved performance

The users across an SD-WAN will have a better application experience, and all the workstations will have all the applications highly available. It also offers a better user experience with the more efficient routing of application traffic.

SD-WAN offers much better protection against theft and malicious attacks. It can route critical data through the internet using a VPN that protects data from unauthorized access.

Commonly Asked Questions About SD-WAN

1. What is the full form of WAN?
WAN full form is a wide area network.

2. What is a wide area network?
WAN definition is a network of devices located over a vast geographical area. WAN facilitates communication between the devices and shares resources, applications, and information
A wide area network example would be the cash dispensers of a bank or ATMs.

3. What is a WAN network?
A WAN is a network that offers connectivity between several LANs and other networks to share resources, information, and applications.