How SDWAN is changing the Definition of WAN?

In the present era of technology when Information Technology has become the provider of real business solutions, it has become necessary for the organizations to house their resources in a public or private cloud platform, maintained in-house or by a service provider, and made it available on demand. Therefore, with the changing patterns and IT requirements now the SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN) approach is being used commonly which is unlike traditional router-centric WAN architecture and has been designed in such a way that it fully supports applications hosted in on-premises data centers, public or private clouds, and SaaS services. It is a much-upgraded version of WAN that mostly consists of a combination of public and leased lines that were never designed for the cloud and does not support it. Consequently, we can say that SD-WAN has replaced traditional WAN and is coping well with the present scenario requirements of a cloud network. Having said that, let’s check out what are its benefits.

Advantages of SD-WAN over traditional WAN
SD-WAN is a new network architecture that is a solution to current IT needs. For multisite deployments, this approach to network connectivity can cut operational costs and enhance resource utilization. Network administrators can maintain high levels of performance for key applications without compromising security or data privacy by better utilizing the bandwidth. Its other benefits include:

• Reduction in Circuit Cost: SD-WAN technology eliminates the need for expensive MPLS lines. It connects to the internet via lower-cost, higher-speed options like broadband or DSL.
• QoS: SD-WAN enables Simplified QoS and prioritization of important apps across the WAN. SD-WAN allows for real-time traffic monitoring and routing of critical traffic around brownouts.
• Enhances Performance: As SD-WAN enables simplified QoS, it helps in reducing packet loss and latency issues that enhance performance.
• Increased Security: SD-WAN offers increased security by establishing encrypted tunnels between all SD-WAN sites.
• Consolidation with Unified Communications: SD-WAN consolidates with unified communications well and minimizes the jitter as well as packet loss in voice and video traffic.
• It supports multiple high-bandwidth intensive applications at the same time, offloading them where possible to the local internet.

Moreover, SD-WAN gives the WAN additional agility and speed of provisioning while lowering its total cost. Improved application performance enhances business productivity, customer satisfaction, and profits. Consistent security lowers the risk to the company. Thus, we can say that the capabilities and definitions of SD-WAN solutions will evolve over time as new technologies emerge which is why it is changing the definition of WAN.