25 August 2020

Why Use SD-WAN?

Why Use SD-WAN?

Software-Defined Wide Area Networking takes traditional WAN architecture to a higher level of optimisation to increase your network performance.

In today’s era of rapid digital transformation, the conventional WAN struggles to meet the demands of cloud-driven enterprises. Enter Software-defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) – a transformative solution that leverages diverse transport services to streamline connections, elevate application performance, and enhance security.

In a typical modern business, data is now dispersed among a host of solutions and locations; for example, your email may be located online using Microsoft 365 or Google, files may be stored on a file server, with payroll located in yet another location. SD-WAN navigates these dispersed resources to provide you with the fastest and shortest path to your data.

SD-WAN’s agility not only simplifies network architecture but also reduces costs, making it an essential choice for optimizing critical application delivery. By seamlessly bridging users to cloud resources while ensuring data privacy and security, SD-WAN has become the linchpin for businesses seeking both efficiency and competitive edge in an interconnected world.

So why choose SD-WAN? We’ll explain the basics of SD-WAN and the benefits it offers so you can evaluate whether using SD-WAN is the right solution for your business.

How SD-WAN works

SD-WAN uses software to prioritise traffic on your network to prevent slow responses.

You don’t have to know a lot about networks to conceptualise the advantages SD-WAN holds over traditional WAN. Imagine that your network is a busy road piling up with traffic. Without any kind of direction or restrictions, the cars all keep trying to take the one same route day after day, causing massive delays.

But, when you introduce traffic signals that divert some of the cars to a detour route, it frees up much more space for cars to travel quickly on the main road without getting bogged down by traffic.

If your business only uses a traditional WAN solution, you may not be able to operate as efficiently as a business that employs SD-WAN. High-priority traffic is recognised by SD-WAN, which then opens up space for the traffic while rerouting less important applications and other traffic to other connections.

Why is SD-WAN so attractive to businesses?

A network that knows how to cooperate with cloud-based applications quickly gives you an obvious benefit. The advantages of adopting SD-WAN don’t end there, though.

Many businesses choose to upgrade from WAN to SD-WAN because they want:

  • Performance optimisation that lets them give priority to specific applications, users, and devices.
  • A simplified system that reduces the need for multiple network devices while seamlessly integrating WAN technologies already in use.
  • Cost-effective connections. SD-WAN solutions can take advantage of existing internet connections like NBN and bond them together to create a large, cheap pipe to the internet. For example, 2 NBN 100M/40M connections can be joined together to create a 200M/80M network for a fraction of the traditional price.
  • Increased redundancy that can provide improved failover between connections. SD-WAN solutions can be implemented with multiple links to reduce risks and improve the productivity of your business.

A network that knows how to cooperate with cloud-based applications quickly gives you an obvious benefit.

Choosing the right SD-WAN solution for you

As is the case with most services, some SD-WAN solutions work better than others. Make sure you choose a reliable option that will give you the benefits and capabilities you need at an affordable price.

There are a number of major players in Australia that provide excellent SD-WAN services for enterprise users, including Cisco and Fortinet. At First Focus, we can help you understand your options and how a specific SD-WAN solution can fill your company’s unique needs.

SD-WAN can help you save money and improve efficiency, but you only get top-tier benefits when you take the time to select the solution that most closely matches your business’s needs.

Want to learn more about SD-WAN?

Before you adopt an enterprise SD-WAN solution, talk to our experts at First Focus to learn more about your options. We have abundant experience choosing, managing, and monitoring SD-WANs. In fact, we monitor one of the largest SD-WANs in the APAC region.

SD-WAN can help you save money and improve efficiency, but you only get top-tier benefits when you take the time to select the solution that most closely matches your needs. First Focus will help ensure that you get the SD-WAN solution your organisation needs to excel.

 

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