As enterprises gained more interest in cloud solutions, they needed a way to manage the heavy bandwidth requirements and the network demands of geographically-dispersed branch locations. Many found that software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) provided the way to ensure reliable connectivity to branches while meeting bandwidth needs in a cost-effective setting.
Now, more enterprises are adopting SD-WAN because new trends are making it even more accessible and secure. Take a look at some of the forces driving SD-WAN adoption:
SD-Branch: Of those customers surveyed by IDC, 70% expect to utilize SD-Branch in the next year. SD-Branch is based on the technology used to develop SD-WAN, but it is further enhanced to meet the specific needs of local area networks (LANs) in terms of networking and management.
Partnerships: Many of the bigger public cloud providers and the developers of SD-WAN products are increasingly creating partnerships that direct the development of better SD-WAN products. These solutions are more intuitive and designed to support the specific requirements of multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments.
Integrated Design: Enterprises are favoring platforms that cover a wide range of network needs. Management to security network professionals are seeking platforms that integrate with data-center networks, public cloud resources, and LANs. Security needs to be baked in, rather than presented as a bolted-on solution that must be customized with additional features and tools. Network teams will be looking for support in areas like analytics, visibility, and unified communications.
Overall, enterprises are pursuing solutions that allow them to integrate infrastructure with software so that they can achieve consistency in areas like management and security. These policies can be applied based on user, application, or device – across the network.
Multi-Cloud Environments: Enterprises are pursuing multi-cloud environments as a way to improve cost savings, reliability, and agility by placing workloads in their ideal cloud or on-premise platform. SD-WAN can act as connective tissue between the data center, cloud, branch locations, and internet of things (IoT) devices. The technology offered in SD-WAN is critical for businesses that need cost-effective and reliable connectivity between branches and cloud solutions. Some enterprises may be utilizing hundreds – or even thousands – of solutions, and SD-WAN technology helps simplify the management of multi-cloud environments.
New offerings in SD-WAN reflect a new, better way to implement virtualized networking that is more comprehensive and cohesive in its approach. From more intuitive solutions that are informed by the participation of cloud providers to security features that integrate well with IT policies, SD-WAN is becoming even more vital to optimizing networking.
If you’re considering an infrastructure upgrade, contact us at Cloud Source. We can help you determine whether SD-WAN adoption is right for your network and then work with you to leverage the best solution for your needs.