As software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) continues to be adopted by enterprises to address an increasingly complex network infrastructure, there are changes occurring in SD-WAN solutions themselves and in the SD-WAN market. Take a look at a few of the changes influencing how SD-WAN is used and marketed:
Thinning the pack: With enterprises investing in SD-WAN as an upgrade to network infrastructure to support security efforts, cloud solutions and Internet of Things (IoT), the need for an intuitive solution is pushing out those providers that tagged SD-WAN onto other offerings. A provider that simply offers basic SD-WAN will soon find that enterprises aren’t interested in SD-WAN without optimization capabilities or sophisticated segmentation available. Providers that specialize in SD-WAN as a way to drive business initiatives will eclipse those that offer it as a sideshow.
Security focus: Once security teams recognized the potential for segmentation in SD-WAN offerings, they began to expand how it was being applied to protect systems from a breach. For instance, if an IoT device is compromised, SD-WAN makes it easier to isolate network traffic by device or user to limit the exposure of the company to a threat. Many enterprises are creating new security frameworks around SD-WAN’s capability to segment traffic.
Previously, a broadly utilized WAN allowed every application to communicate with all others, introducing vulnerability when a threat was present. SD-WAN makes it much simpler to isolate a threat.
Business drive: One reason that enterprises are interested in implementing SD-WAN is its role in pushing business objectives forward. From optimizing network traffic to prioritizing a video conference call over employees browsing Facebook, the network technology makes it possible to reduce costs, improve the customer experience and equip real-time decision-making.
Consider a company that introduces a new Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solution that offers shared workspaces. SD-WAN allows automated policies to be set up so that a virtual team sharing information in that shared workspace is prioritized over other types of non-critical transmissions. This empowers real-time decision-making that speeds up productivity and pushes the customer experience to new levels of satisfaction.
Early adopters: Those who implemented SD-WAN in its early stages may be contemplating an additional investment in a more mature solution. While these tools offered some improvement over traditional hub-and-spoke network infrastructure, they need more features to get the level of visibility and control that experienced WAN providers offer.
To learn more about changes occurring in SD-WAN offerings, contact us at Truth Comm. We can help you identify the main goals you need to address with an SD-WAN solution and guide you through the process of choosing the right option for your implementation.