Traditionally, Wide Area Networking (WAN) has connected multiple users based in disparate locations to applications hosted on servers situated at the main data centre, while employing dedicated MPLS circuits to ensure the reliability and security of the connection between sites.
Today, with an increasingly cloud-centric environment, this setup is no longer fit for purpose.
The old-style WAN networks are unable to cope with the huge increase in WAN traffic that comes with the adoption of cloud-based services; resulting in complex and unwieldy management, unpredictable app performance, exposure of data to greater vulnerability, and deteriorating user experience.
Furthermore, exposing an organisation to the Internet and the cloud can easily result in a variety of external threats and a myriad of compliance issues, especially as increasing numbers of applications such as SaaS and IaaS are being accessed by everyone from the CEO to external partners.
Many organisations have resorted to enabling broadband in the WAN, but as a direct consequence have created mounting challenges for IT departments, as they seek to balance user experience with maintaining high levels of security.
While all the time IT departments have had to contend with finding new ways to connect different types of users, using different devices, on different cloud environments.
As a result of all the above, the cost of running the traditional WAN has been steadily rising.
Why forward-thinking organisations are now turning to the SD-WAN.
The software-defined WAN is the future-focused approach to solving the problems of network connectivity – real, efficient, fast, user- friendly, and above all more economical.
Not only does it empower network administrators to use available bandwidth with greater efficiency, it also ensures the very highest performance levels for the most critical of applications – all without compromising network security and the privacy of that all-important data.
The SD-WAN is the answer to the challenges posed by the new cloud-driven business model. Not only does it lead to more efficient use of available resources across multiple sites, it has also been proven to reduce operational costs.
The future of WAN is software defined.
Some of the many advantages of the SD-WAN.
- Lower operational costs. Aside from the financial loss caused by a less connected, efficient workforce and the time spent maintaining traditional WAN networks, with the SD-WAN you can also reduce operating expenses by replacing expensive MPLS services with more economical broadband services.
- A better user experience. Deliver optimal application performance from multiple clouds, to every user across your organisation, regardless of geographical location. Should a link fail or even suffer degradation, then application-aware routing will dynamically re-route traffic in order to maintain the continuous delivery of your business-critical applications.
- Improved security. One of the key features of the SD-WAN architecture is that it provides distributed security at the branch level. As a result, data doesn’t have to travel to the data centre in order to benefit from advanced security protection such as a firewall, DNS enforcement or hacker prevention.
- Easier management. Through centralised, cloud delivered architecture, it is far easier to scale applications right across hundreds or even thousands of endpoints – no matter where they are located. With a SD-WAN you can employ zero-touch deployment right across the globe, via a single, unified management interface.
To discover for yourself just how Quadris can deliver a future-focused and cost-effective SD-WAN that will improve the efficiency of your organisation, contact Peter Grayson on 0161 537 4980 or peter.grayson@quadris.co.uk
