SD-WAN is the modern equivalent of “abracadabra” when it comes to network performance and management. As businesses continue a mass migration to cloud-based applications, they are finding traditional networks cannot keep up with user needs. A recent report from International Data Corporation (IDC) stated that given its central role in the future enterprise, “whole cloud spending – total worldwide spending on cloud services, the hardware and software components underpinning the cloud supply chain, and the professional/managed services opportunities around cloud services – will surpass $1.3 trillion by 2025 while sustaining a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.9%.”
Software defined wide area network (SD-WAN) solutions are particularly beneficial as organizations scale their networks to meet their growing needs. According to IDC, enterprise applications are more distributed than ever, and now because of COVID-19, the users accessing those applications are more distributed too. “As organizations look to support a hybrid workforce and cloud-native network architectures, SD-WAN infrastructure has become a critically important technology for enabling flexible, agile, and optimized connectivity,” said Ajeet Das, research director for Carrier Network Infrastructure at IDC. The reason is clear: SD-WAN capabilities enable secure connectivity for users to applications no matter where they’re hosted.
Reliable access to cloud services requires a resilient, diverse WAN architecture that provides seamless connectivity anywhere. SD-WAN delivers that connectivity for enterprise networks regardless of geographic distance, connection technology, or service provider. For businesses with remote branch offices, SD-WAN solutions simplify remote office connectivity, eliminate productivity-robbing downtime and in many instances cut IT expenses.
While there is no wand waving involved, SD-WAN can feel a bit like magic. You can deploy an SD-WAN solution with minimal impact to your network infrastructure. Price/performance is one of the biggest advantages of SD-WAN over traditional approaches. Early adopters of SD-WAN in many cases dramatically reduced their WAN equipment and operating costs – by more than half—while maintaining or improving application performance.
The Three Magic Words of SD-WAN:
1. Performance
As the requirements for bandwidth and uptime continue to grow, networks must keep pace. SD-WAN solutions allow businesses to improve network performance by economically increasing bandwidth, reducing latency, shaping traffic, monitoring connections and providing fail-proof VoIP.
2. Price
Analysts estimate that SD-WAN solutions can curb hardware, software and support costs by at least 40% while increasing performance. In addition, operational costs are also dramatically decreased with SD-WAN by reducing WAN equipment, management and operations.
3. Scalability
Traditional WAN networks are difficult to scale. They can be incredibly complex, and are customized manually, making adaptions and additions challenging as a business grows. SD-WAN is flexible, open and intelligent; integrating easily into existing network infrastructures. It also allows businesses to add new locations as needed with lower-cost connections.
For businesses experiencing growth that is outpacing their technology, SD-WAN is an easily adoptable solution that will cut costs and increase network performance. Ecessa’s progressive approach to SD-WAN provides easily deployable solutions today—while making room to expand as businesses grow and require more bandwidth and resources. Please contact us to discuss your network needs.