Cloud sprawl. Rising costs. Network vulnerabilities. Inconsistent performance. These are considered four major network problems many modern organizations are struggling with. But the devil’s not so black as he’s painted – if you know a thing or two about SD-WAN.
The pandemic brought a massive acceleration to the digital transformation of many organizations, effectively packing a decade of evolution into just two years. Once-centralized networks needed to become decentralized seemingly overnight, accommodating to the rapidly evolving needs of the #NewNormal and remote working. Budgets are stretched thin, human resources are stretched even thinner, and a new wave of cyberattacks is being aimed at the network’s weakest points. Calling it an IT apocalypse wouldn’t be that much of an exaggeration.
But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining, and every obstacle is an opportunity for growth. If there’s one thing the last two years have taught the network operations teams, is that it’s high time to embrace a software-defined network model. Actually, SD-WAN is literally designed to solve many of the problems of today – from security to scalability to hybrid interoperability.
Problem #1: Cloud sprawl
Feel like you’re managing ten networks instead of just one? You’re definitely not alone. To address that issue, a single, software-defined network management layer can create a holistic view across all network topologies. As a result, NetOps teams can configure, manage, and report on all network resources through a centralized point of command, from the core data center out to the network edge and even into the cloud. Pretty neat, huh?
Problem #2: The ever-rising IT costs
Name one network professional who’s never got tired of asking Finance for more budget. The ability to work from home is great, but it comes at a cost. The cost of more connections, more hardware, and more circuits, to be specific. Even the cloud has become a cost factor, requiring additional technology to secure those cloud connections. An SD-WAN solution enables IT to expand network services more cost-efficiently by using Internet-based broadband to securely connect remote locations rather than expensive MPLS circuits.
How does it work, specifically? Check the details in our previous blog entry.
Problem #3: Network security vulnerabilities
When it comes to network security, the short blanket dilemma is ever present. You’re probably thinking, “the network is changing faster than I can keep up”. Well, it’s no surprise, given the fact that NetOps teams are tasked with managing networks they didn’t create. Whether it’s a cloud application purchased by Marketing or a smartphone purchased by an individual user, managing multiple endpoints and consistently enforcing secure policies across such a vast, complex and dynamically shifting environment feels like a mission impossible. Luckily for you, an SD-WAN simplifies that process by connecting everything through a unified management layer that’s easy to control and scale!
Problem #4: Inconsistent network performance
Even before the pandemic, network traffic had been on the rise. Fast-forward to today, and two-third of business network traffic is video, bringing greater demand for network performance and security. Because who doesn’t love Zoom or Teams, right? So there’s no denying it: less control over the network equipment means less control over network performance. Managing network resources when they used to sit tight in the data center was hard enough, but trying to optimize “outside” resources is exponentially harder, when you’re operating in a traditional network architecture. Here again, an SD-WAN solution provides simple, centralized control over video, voice, and data traffic anywhere in the logical network, allowing NetOps to improve and adjust network performance based on real-time conditions.
There’s no time for no IT apocalypse
Let’s be clear: SD-WAN is not a savior who will rescue us from the plight and perils of today’s digital landscape. There have been many myths and misconceptions surrounding Software-Defined Wide Area Networking for some time, which we recently busted on our blog – check here.
But the fact is, SD-WAN *does* make the life of network administrators better, whether their job involves using the network to connect to video meetings or access files, and especially if they need to make sure those network activities run smoothly. Check our other Insights story to see exactly what kind of benefits are we talking here.
The only problem remaining, then, is which SD-WAN solution to choose? We have an answer for that too: ExtremeCloud SD-WAN!