6 Reasons to Make the Switch to SD-WAN

The transition to remote and hybrid work styles has had a profound impact on network performance. Massive numbers of remote employees and bandwidth-hungry applications have significantly increased network traffic and intensified connectivity demands. Decades-old WAN designs aren’t up to the task.

6 Reasons to Make the Switch to SD-WAN

In legacy WAN models, organizations provision expensive dedicated circuits or multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) links to interconnect locations. Web traffic is backhauled to headquarters because Internet connections are inherently unsecure and unreliable. That worked well enough when network traffic was limited to email and web browsing. However, remote network access and cloud connections have experienced exponential growth, exposing the limitations of this approach. Backhauling wastes bandwidth and creates latency and reliability issues.

In a recent survey, almost half of organizations still using legacy WAN solutions said they have experienced connectivity issues since shifting to remote work. This has a measurable impact on operations. Respondents reported lost productivity due to slow application response times and other connectivity issues. They also fear a rise in security issues if remote workers turn to unsecure Internet connections to do their work.

   

Overcoming Traditional WAN Challenges

Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) solutions help organizations overcome these challenges. SD-WAN makes it possible to mix and match connectivity options according to network demands. Everything is controlled dynamically by software, improving traffic management, optimizing application performance, reducing costs and boosting security.

Here are six essential benefits SD-WAN can bring to your organization:

  1. Traffic Management. With SD-WAN, organizations can blend transport types such as MPLS, broadband Internet, cellular and satellite according to their needs. For example, organizations can use MPLS to ensure security for mission-critical data and broadband circuits for more affordable connectivity for less-sensitive workloads. Software provides automated, policy-driven routing of traffic over the optimal connection.
  2. Cost Efficiency. By transferring traffic from MPLS connections to broadband Internet links, SD-WAN helps cut telecommunication costs substantially while gaining additional bandwidth. SD-WAN also reduces the amount of equipment needed in branch locations, lowering CAPEX costs and administrative overhead.
  3. Application Optimization. SD-WAN is an application-aware technology, which means it can identify and classify apps based on a variety of characteristics. Each app can then be optimized to ensure peak performance. SD-WAN also improves the performance of cloud services by eliminating the need to backhaul cloud-based traffic through the data center.
  4. Remote employees likely don’t have robust security measures in their home offices. SD-WANs use encryption to secure traffic from end to end and fully authenticate all devices and components.
  5. Streamlined Management. SD-WAN solutions separate management from individual hardware components, streamlining administration. They also virtualize network functions such as firewall and WAN optimization, making it easy to manage these functions from one dashboard.
  6. Network Resilience. SD-WAN eliminates the conventional hub-and-spoke architectural model in which all critical apps and services are deployed in the data center. Connecting remote and mobile employees to the main office for Internet and application access creates a single point of failure.

Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) solutions help organizations overcome the challenges of traditional WAN.

 

GDS's Managed SD-WAN Solution

GDS delivers a fully managed SD-WAN solution that takes the guesswork out of enterprise-class connectivity. We can connect all your offices and remote and mobile users with the best network options for each location. Our 24x7 live monitoring and support ensure that your mission-critical connections are reliable and secure. You also get one simple bill for all GDS services.

An increased reliance on remote network access and cloud connectivity is changing network usage patterns in ways that push legacy WAN architectures to their limits. SD-WAN solutions help ensure that your employees have reliable access to the data and applications they need to do their jobs. Give us a call to discuss how SD-WAN can help you address your evolving business requirements.

   

 

Benefits of Managed IT Services from Global Data Systems

  • Strategic Managed IT: We help you solve your technology related business problems.
  • Connectivity: We get you reliable, secure connectivity anywhere in the western hemisphere in 48 hours.
  • Support: When you need help simply call our 24x7x365 support number.
  • Billing: Instead of managing hundreds of vendors - get one, easy to read bill from GDS.

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