Cloud Source

Determining the Ideal Cloud Network

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Enterprises examining the benefits of a cloud network may see the challenge in choosing one that adequately supports business functions in terms of data, applications, and services. The enterprise has limited control over the underlying components because the cloud provider generally owns those elements. As cloud network technology advances, there are different choices available that provide a variety of levels of design that fit different enterprise requirements.

What Is a Cloud Network? The type of cloud network is heavily based on the level of control a cloud customer has in designing, managing, and configuring the underlying private or public cloud network. In a private cloud setting, there is more flexibility in the design because the cloud manager is handling the hardware and software that support the cloud.

When it comes to public cloud, there’s a limited amount of control that comes only with Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) settings. When choosing Software as a Service (SaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS), there’s no control at all because they are managed by the service provider. IaaS is the only option for configuring and managing some aspects of the network.

Many enterprises find hybrid cloud to be the perfect balance between public and private cloud network options, allowing some applications and services to be available in the on-premise data centers while others reside in an IaaS provider’s data center. For enterprises that choose a hybrid cloud network, it is ideal when they can imitate the policies and procedures, as well as the network IP space that they have used in their data centers, allowing for a more uniform experience.

Some enterprises find it beneficial to utilize multiple providers in a multi-cloud architecture. In this environment as well as with hybrid, it is imperative for there to be symmetry between the clouds from both an operational and a management point of view. Enterprise IT must be able to manage access lists, routing, and load balancing, along with a host of other network functions from any cloud setting.

Enterprises can choose from three basic architectures:

Built-In Networking Tools refer to the cloud service provider’s built-in tools that are provided in the IaaS service. You may have control over certain basics, such as assigning private IP addresses and applying security policies to subnets, as well as internet gateways and supplemental network services.

Virtual Networking Appliances from the networking provider allow you to handle specific tasks rather than using those features offered by the provider. If you’re considering a hybrid cloud network, you may want to integrate third-party appliances into the IaaS so that they replicate the configurations available in your private data centers.

Multi-Cloud Management offers simplification through the management of multiple clouds in a platform designed to handle configuration and policies. They create a software overlay operating between public and private clouds that minimizes the differences in managing configurations. This is the most complex option, but it also offers another path for enterprises that are navigating a number of public cloud providers with a larger network.

Choosing a cloud network requires a thorough understanding of your long- and short-term needs. Contact us at Cloud Source for assistance in navigating the process of choosing the best cloud network for your enterprise.

Implementing a Secure SD-WAN Solution

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Software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) is becoming the answer to many network challenges, including reducing the cost of pricey links like multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) and private ethernet connections. These connections tend to be priced at a premium and challenging for IT teams to manage. Network redundancy is complex and requires a labor-intensive approach. When WAN acceleration was required, add-in products were necessary to support certain applications.

Enterprises are increasingly turning to SD-WAN, and the motivation is often the expected cost savings that come with carrier autonomy, which allows for the access of a variety of pathways along with automated policy that directs traffic based on application requirements and congestion concerns.

While there are numerous benefits, one of the challenges of SD-WAN is ensuring that data and systems are secure. Cost savings are attractive to companies transitioning to SD-WAN, but they also seek out the improvement in application performance as well as management simplicity. Having all of these advances and security coverage as well creates some challenges.

All of these expectations for SD-WAN hinge on its ability to be application aware. This ensures both specialized application performance acceleration and security at the firewall-application level are possible.

Next-generation firewall (NGFW) providers are beginning to work in partnership with SD-WAN providers in order to offer hosted cloud firewall gateways, so that firewall services and cloud internet access are centralized. While SD-WAN gateway and hosted firewalls are promising services, the impact multiplies when they are combined.

Application Performance

When SD-WAN is implemented, one of the more noticeable benefits is application performance improvement. The solution is equipped with algorithms that allow it to optimize application traffic between sites. It has an awareness of the pathways and their quality, so that it can route traffic according to the application requirements and which pathways are experiencing the level of quality necessary for a successful transmission. This is important for applications like voice or video that tend to be sensitive to latency or jitter.

Improved Security

The complexity of managing security across multiple sites increases the value of SD-WAN for centralizing internet access through an NGFW. Enterprises move to a cloud-based NGFW, making it easier to manage and more reliable, securing the network all the way to the edge. In addition, SD-WAN gateways and hosted firewall services tend to be housed in large data centers around the world, offering improved connectivity for enterprise branches.

SD-WAN also ensures improved traffic visibility, with better insights and control over how data is being transmitted. This improves security in terms of protection, detection, and the ability to isolate a threat to a particular pathway or according to predetermined network segmentation.

SD-WAN offers network optimization when integration includes application awareness and security functions. Enterprises that don’t include these considerations in their SD-WAN selection process may always be trying to chase the promised benefits of SD-WAN technology.

For more information about SD-WAN and choosing a solution that improves application performance and data and systems security, contact us at Cloud Source.

Simplifying Multi-Cloud Strategies With SDN

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Software-defined networking (SDN) allows companies pursuing a multi-cloud strategy to gain better control over network traffic and optimize performance. It’s a way to virtualize the network, separating the control plane from the data plane and address the differing performance requirements of various cloud environments.

Rather than a simple shift of all workloads to a single cloud, most enterprises find that a multi-cloud environment serves their needs best. They get the robust security and customization that comes with investing in private cloud solutions, while benefitting from the speed and agility that public cloud is known to deliver.

In many cases, the multi-cloud environment represents a perfect blend of cost savings and innovation that allows enterprises to maintain a competitive edge in their industry. The approach is not without challenges:

  • Managing the various contracts, performance requirements, and billing of each cloud provider adds a layer of complexity to the management of the IT environment.
  • Security may be disjointed, with different providers offering varying levels of protection and no overarching strategy for protecting the myriad access points.
  • Network engineers are challenged to ensure that mission-critical transmissions are prioritized over more recreational transmissions, such as streaming video, or those that don’t require real-time connectivity.
  • Creating a comprehensive strategy for managing how cloud solutions are added to the environment can be difficult when different business units or branches are utilizing different platforms and software.

Simplifying Through SDN: Enterprises are turning to SDN to solve these challenges, virtualizing the network for added visibility and control. There are several benefits that come with SDN that are ideal for multi-cloud environments:

  • Traffic Prioritization: Through a single network management dashboard, network administrators are able to direct traffic according to priority and performance requirements. Critical workloads can be directed to a link that delivers the speed, performance, and reliability they need, all automated according to business policy.
  • Security: The best SDN solutions offer comprehensive security features, including end-to-end encryption, next generation firewalls, and granular visibility into network activity. The traffic segmentation available through SDN offers an added level of protection, allowing any threat to be isolated until it can be addressed.
  • Application Onboarding: SDN allows IT teams to create a process for implementing new solutions, with accessibility across the enterprise for a consistent approach to technology adoption. A high level of visibility removes the threat of shadow IT and helps create a systematic approach to approval. SDN can handle the varying performance requirements of each solution and ensure a streamlined approach to innovation.

If you’re managing a multi-cloud environment and debating whether SDN may solve some of your network challenges, contact us at Cloud Source. We can help you optimize your network with the best SDN solution for your infrastructure requirements.

How SD-WAN Is Benefitting Businesses

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As companies increasingly adopt cloud solutions and utilize private mobile devices for business purposes, IT departments are evaluating the ability of enterprise network infrastructure to keep pace. The increased traffic, security concerns and volume of data have led many to adopt software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) as a way to address these challenges.

SD-WAN applies a virtual overlay that gives IT access to more visibility and control over the network. While its initial attraction may be the promise of cost savings, businesses quickly find that SD-WAN’s value lies in its ability to equip the enterprise with better agility and productivity.

SD-WAN allows for zero-touch provisioning, allowing network administrators to set up new branch locations in a matter of minutes. Troubleshooting and configuration can all be handled through the virtual overlay, saving time and resources that used to be spent traveling to the branch.

What will SD-WAN look like in your particular business? You can get a glimpse by examining its impact in three key industries:

Retail: For retail companies, the customer experience is critical, and a long wait at the cash register is a memorable event in a customer’s mind. Retail organizations with dozens or hundreds of locations need a secure network to transmit card payments, and without an IT team member on-site, they need the network to be highly reliable. SD-WAN allows any congestion or other performance-related issues to be detected by IT before it impacts the branch location, and automatic policies can be set up so that a data transmission encountering a problem is rerouted without the end user ever knowing.

Finance: Financial services also benefit from SD-WAN in areas like security, reliability and performance. Banks and other financial institutions need to be able to serve customers quickly with a reliable network, all while guaranteeing that customer data is secure. Financial services also need to access cloud solutions through a fast and reliable connection.

Education: The ability to prioritize critical data transmissions is a key benefit to educational organizations. Universities and colleges need to be able to choose mission-critical pathways for transmissions like video conferencing or a professor’s lecture being streamed by students in an online course. These can be prioritized over students in the dorm watching Netflix or accessing Facebook. Schools are experiencing an increasing demand for bandwidth, but they can allocate these demands across different types of pathways, reducing costs and relieving congestion on the network.

If you’d like to know more about how SD-WAN might benefit your particular business, including cost savings and optimized network performance, contact usat Cloud Source. We can help you identify the right SD-WAN solution to help you solve network challenges and deliver a better experience to your customers and other end users.

SD-WAN Deployment in Small, Manageable Steps

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It’s rare to find a network engineer that isn’t considering the benefits of implementing software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) to solve a variety of challenges. From increased visibility and centralized network management to reduced costs and scalability, SD-WAN checks a lot of boxes. For globally-dispersed enterprises facing new complexities with mobile technology and broader security planes, investment in SD-WAN seems nearly unavoidable.

When engineers consider the scope of the process they’d be undertaking by adopting SD-WAN, the benefits seem dwarfed by the potential for seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Implementing SD-WAN must be viewed as a series of smaller steps, not the major deployment project that it is. When broken into smaller, well-planned steps, network engineers can plan for a more seamless, smooth process. Here are 10 key steps for SD-WAN implementation:

  1. Wide area network (WAN) optimization should be the first step, because if it’s not optimized for WAN, it will be impossible to determine the traffic patterns and bandwidth requirements to inform SD-WAN deployment.
  2. Add in visibility tools to allow engineers to see where traffic is going and troubleshoot issues.
  3. Move to a hybrid solution where WAN and multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) can coexist and be fully leveraged.
  4. Replace your router with an SD-WAN device, or any device that can virtualize routing, like a WAN optimizer.
  5. Create local internet breakouts, rather than having traffic backhauled to a central office hub. It’s a waste of bandwidth and diminishes the end user’s experience. Instead, implement a way to verify trusted cloud sources and make it possible for branch offices to link directly to the internet.
  6. Virtualize firewalls on the WAN edge device to reduce costs on local internet security concerns. Another option is to employ a cloud-based security solution for branch internet traffic.
  7. SD each branch, virtualizing services like VPNs and security features.
  8. When it’s time for an advanced measure, engineers can dynamically mesh using orchestration tools to create peer-to-peer connections. There are tools to assist with this step, but it requires advanced engineering skills.
  9. Analyze and refine until the system is optimized. Engineers can continue to repeat steps one through eight to achieve the best possible use of SD-WAN.
  10. Let go of MPLS. This may never happen in some organizations, and it can happen much earlier in this process, but some engineers have a difficult time retiring MPLS.

Switching to SD-WAN is a clear win for enterprises, as long as they don’t get caught up in the many challenges that can occur during the transition. Dividing the process into smaller goals helps the team celebrate achievements and keep moving forward.

SD-WAN is the most agile and logical way to manage your network. To learn more about how to implement this technology for your enterprise, contact us at Cloud Source.

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