SD-WAN stands for software-defined wide area network. It’s an architecture that implements an SDN (software-defined network) approach to WAN topology. Its role is smart WAN traffic management.
SD-WAN technology allows for leveraging any combination of transport protocols, such as MPLS, LTE, or broadband internet services, to ensure network security and efficient user connection to applications.
SD-WAN definition
The main idea behind an SDN is to separate the control plane from the data plane. SD-WAN architecture allows enterprises to use different protocols (MPLS, LTE, etc.) across various branch offices. A centralized control plane enables you to configure policies that are automatically applied to all or particular sites. Additionally, you can configure more advanced algorithms to manage network traffic.
A software-defined wide area network is an alternative to the traditional WAN model of backhauling traffic from branch offices to the data center. Instead, it sends traffic from branch locations to trusted cloud-based applications over the internet. This WAN optimization reduces latency and bandwidth waste. An SD-WAN solution ensures efficiency and proper application performance.
SD-WAN benefits
Modern network architecture is needed to ensure a positive user experience and smooth application performance. SD-WAN solutions bring that to the table, alongside other benefits:
- consistent application performance and resiliency,
- intelligent traffic distribution,
- improved network security,
- simplified WAN architecture,
- faster deployment,
- reduced IT costs.
SD-WAN explained
A software-defined WAN is a beneficial way of streamlining and automating network traffic management. If you’re interested in this topic, be sure to check out our other articles.
