SDWAN

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SD-WAN 101: Back to the Basics

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What the heck is SD-WAN?

SD-WAN is the biggest buzzword for IT leaders since the term cloud was coined. At the highest level, SD-WAN or Software-Defined Wide Area Networking is a game-changing technology—enabling and empowering massive shifts for businesses on their digital transformation journeys.

This incredible new technology is crucial to a new network architecture. SD-WAN allows secure connections between network points (headquarters, remote offices, data centers, cloud providers, etc.) that are agnostic to the connectivity types (MPLS, broadband internet, DIA, 4G, 5G) available at each point. In it’s simplest form, SD-WAN allows companies private tunnels or “Virtual Private Networks” between office locations and remote workers to interface with each other securely.

What are the benefits?

OPEX vs. CAPEX

Typically, CIOs view networks as a business asset without a calculable ROI component. But digital transformation initiatives and the transition to the cloud fundamentally changes all balance sheets. Businesses need to be more cognizant today about how they are spending and amortizing IT investments. Few CIOs would even consider spending on the CAPEX-heavy network architectures and IT systems of just a few years ago. That’s because SD-WAN architecture can minimize OPEX and allow increased savings over traditional rigid networks. This can help offset increased OPEX expenses realized through other cloud technologies.

Application Performance and Prioritization.

Two key features of traditional networks built on MPLS technology was performance and prioritization. All of those benefits still exist today. But the shift toward SD-WAN means you just have more flexibility and control than ever before. SD-WAN can flex and burst bandwidth, prioritizing usage based on time of day or availability of broadband. Depending on how SD-WAN is deployed, it can optimize their overall available bandwidth per location—a critical features for “cloud first” businesses. The way SD-WAN tunnels data allows network and IT administrators unprecedented routing and prioritization options for modern enterprise apps that are reliant on network performance.

Agility

It has already been mentioned, but the ability for companies to use SD-WAN with a variety of broadband internet access options at their branch offices decreases reliance on large carriers. Adding couple of broadband internet lines to a new office via SD-WAN makes a lot of sense in a smaller city or rural area where MPLS is cost prohibitive. In addition, SD-WAN allows speed of innovation, change, and disaster recovery / business-continuity options that were not possible before. Essentially, you are no longer beholden to one carrier and have access to a plethora of broadband options on-demand. With SD-WAN, turn up time can be as little as a day where previously the average time was greater than six weeks.

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ADVANTAGES OF SD WAN

The advantages and disadvantages of SD WAN

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Determining if SD-WAN is the right solution for a company’s digital transformation strategy is an immense consideration. Organizations need to consider the best network solutions that can help them move their infrastructure, tools, programs, and technologies to the cloud. As more companies look to SD-WAN as a catalyst for their digital transformation, the decision makers at these companies must consider the fundamental shift in how they manage all of their geographically-dispersed locations. They looking at the ways this technology is saving money. They’re also looking at if (or maybe how) SD-WAN can provide higher speeds than the traditional MPLS options that existed previously. 

Advantages of SD-WAN

The reasons organizations may consider SD-WAN grow daily.  A few of the top reasons include:

  • Flexibility and control: SD-WAN inherently offers additional control mechanisms related to prioritization and analytics allowing administrators the ability to throttle applications and data as needed for the best outcome.
  • SD-WAN Security: Security needs to be part of any network discussion. Most managed SD-WAN providers as well as non-managed SD-WAN options include a multitude of security features.  
  • SD-WAN Automation: While networking hasn’t reached real-time AI-based automation, SD-WAN is getting close. Automation options enabled via active-active and active-passive configurations are included.
  • SD-WAN Cost: SD-WAN deployments (especially managed) allow organizations to save as much as 50% vs. traditional MPLS deployments

Disadvantages

  • Management and Deployment:  Self-management and deployment is capital intensive. Understanding the difference, features, and opportunities for DIY deployments can be difficult for IT departments that need to plan and handle everything internally, which may impact traditional cost savings.
  • Time to Deploy:  There have been reports that SD-WAN deployments from traditional networking providers are taking longer to get up and running. That being said, all reports suggest that once installed, they run fine. This must be a consideration when looking at the multitude of providers out there today. 
  • Broadband:  This is a double-edged sword that needs to be discussed. While SD-WAN on pure broadband lowers costs and allows organizations the flexibility they’ve always wanted in selecting providers compared to private MPLS, there are numerous risks to relying on “best effort” public connectivity. Having a back up plan is paramount. 

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VeloCloud the top choice for secure hyperscale SD-WAN?

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A new Dell EMC-branded version of VeloCloud SD-WAN announced at VMworld 2019 is now available for enterprise managed cloud network infrastructure. This makes SD-WAN by VeloCloud software available as a flexible subscription with modern appliances in multiple configuration options backed by Dell’s global support supply chain and services. Companies can choose public, private, or hybrid cloud networking for their connectivity options. This new Dell EMC/VMware SD-WAN combo includes cloud-based management and orchestration software.

VMware exerts prime mover advantage

VMware is the undisputed world champion for server virtualization and have leveraged that experience to become a leader in virtualized cloud networking. Dell EMC’s part ownership of VMware gives them a further advantage in delivering hyperscale SD-WAN to global enterprises. In general, large companies benefit most from hyperscale architectures because they are highly automated and they scale out the same way that public clouds like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and the Google Cloud Platform do. Now, VMware is adding hyperscale SD-WAN to the mix. They’ve already installed thousands of their NSX gateways across every major cloud provider and partnered with hundreds of underlay carrier networks around the world.   

For prospective SD-WAN buyers, the Dell EMC/VMware tie-up results in the ability for adding new branch offices can be added dynamically and automatically without much effort. Changes, if necessary, can be rolled out dynamically to the VMware gateways without disruption to the end user. The cloud gateways provide the automated one-click onramp to all the major public cloud providers, and to VMware Cloud Foundation running in private data centers—perfect for hybrid cloud architectures. Another critical advantage is scalability; Dell EMC and VMware claim that customers can have tens of thousands of their SD-WAN edge devices on a single network.

Built-in cybersecurity for added value

When you factor in that VMware recently bought next-generation cybersecurity vendor Carbon Black for $2.1 billion, it’s very clear how this is going to play out. The Carbon Black acquisition gives VMware a growth path by embedding cybersecurity technology directly into their entire product line. Carbon Black developed cloud-native endpoint security software that VMware will infuse into both ends (gateway and edge) of the new hyperscale SD-WAN solution. Combine that with Dell EMC’s proven ability to provide enterprise services that go across on premise cloud and hybrid enterprise deployments, any large companies already invested in either the Dell EMC or VMware ecosystem will have a tough time choosing anything other than VeloCloud for SD-WAN.

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Security is critical for SD-WAN

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Your network architecture is undergoing a transformation with SD-WAN. How can you deliver security to every location while keeping administrative cost and effort under control? 

For nearly two decades, enterprises built wide area networks that sent all traffic back to the corporate data center. Even as companies began adopting public cloud and SaaS solutions, their mostly MPLS-based WANs retained outdated “hub and spoke” architectures. The reason was simple: Moving business-critical apps and IT infrastructure to the cloud decentralizes visibility. The cloud is often semi-jokingly referred to by IT types as “someone else’s computer,” but running in the cloud takes visibility and control away from IT. Retaining the hub and spoke architecture on a corporate network even after cloud adoption means every network packet is sent to a centralized data center for inspection, analysis, and filtering (a scheme network and IT pros call “hairpinning”) before sending it on to SaaS applications or public cloud services.

Secure? Yes. But it’s not a setup that is built for modern workforces in a cloud first/mobile first environment. Some analysts suggest that approximately half of all traffic on corporate networks are destined for internet services such as Salesforce or Google G Suite apps. Hairpinning adds to the lag time between a user request in an app and receiving a response. And for the majority of digital native workers, “slow” is the new “broken.”

Multi-cloud enterprises need decentralized networks

Centralized Network vs. Decentralized Multicloud SD-WAN Networks

On-demand access to cloud apps is complicated by the fact that very few enterprises stick to a single cloud provider. IDC predicted that by 2020, over 90% of enterprises will use multiple cloud services and platforms. A survey by 451 Research claimed that 69% of respondents already have some type of multi-cloud environment today. Some IT departments secure their IP traffic by leveraging hosted security facilities like Cyxtera or add firewalling and cloud-based-security such as Zscaler. 

Since these services basically perform functions similar to hairpinning (i.e. a centralized location for IP traffic inspection), forward-thinking IT executives turn to SD-WAN. Adding SD-WAN strategically to an existing network architecture can increase cloud app performance thanks secure local internet breakout. This allows internet traffic to leave the corporate network from the point of the SD-WAN connect via a locally connected ISP. However, the SD-WAN hardware appliance also can secure that flow to the internet. Depending on the manufacturer or managed SD-WAN service provider, the SD-WAN appliance can secure local internet breakouts via a combo of policies and built-in firewall for access control or add-ons that enhance threat prevention (e.g. sandboxing and DNS security) and data protection (e.g. CASB or DLP). It should be noted that Zscaler has partnered with top SD-WAN appliance makers such as Cisco Viptela, Oracle Talari Networks, and VMware Velocloud to provide scalable secure local internet breakout.

Secure SD-WAN Recommendations

There are numerous options for enterprises wanting to ease into SD-WAN and decentralized networking for a cloud-first workforce. For mid-to-large sized enterprises with internal IT security departments, self-managed SD-WAN appliances from Versa, Silver Peak, and Fortinet can provide excellent cybersecurity and visibility. For SMBs, managed SD-WAN service providers such as Aryaka and Cato Networks balance cybersecurity with app performance and cost.


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