SD-WAN – Software Defined Wide Area Network
Increased deployment of cloud, SaaS, video, and mobile applications has challenged IT and business managers to provide high-quality WAN services to the branch. Deploying and managing the WAN has become more challenging and costly as traffic flows decentralize.
Business and IT Managers are facing three major challenges:
- Increased access cost for MPLS-based bandwidth to support application performance
- High Complexity Branch Deployment
- Architectural issues with traditional WAN that is both static and private, inhibiting the migration to dynamic and public cloud environments
Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) uses software and cloud-based technologies to simplify the delivery of WAN services to branch offices. The software-based virtualization enables network abstraction that results in the simplification of network operations.
SD-WAN Key Features and Benefits:
- Virtualizes the network
- Enables security overlay
- Simplifies services delivery
- Provides interoperability
- Leverages cost-effective hardware
- Supports automation with the business policy framework
- Monitors usage and performance
- Supports interoperable and open networking
- Enables managed services
Traditional Enterprise WANs use both an MPLS and single-function CPE for connectivity and security. This approach is expensive and deploying and managing proprietary hardware can be difficult with inflexible architecture and slow responses to service change requirements.
The transition to SD-WAN and software-defined security enables enterprises to significantly reduce total cost of ownership, increase their IT agility and take a DevOps (developers partner with operations staff to assure software implementation and performance success) approach to both security and the WAN.
To facilitate this transition, Xtel offers a comprehensive solution with advanced SD-WAN and Security including – Unified Threat Management (UTM) and Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW).
Significantly Lower Total Cost of Ownership
The Xtel SD-WAN and Security solution doesn’t require proprietary networking and security appliances – enabling enterprises to slash their infrastructure Capex spend.
Opex is also significantly reduced by eliminating or reducing branch office truck rolls, shortening help desk and troubleshooting time, and easily integrating new services into existing deployments. Scale the solution with the business, ensuring you only pay for what you use.
IT Agility
Roll out large-scale SD-WAN and branch security deployments quickly and without complex or proprietary hardware.
New deployments can be designed and validated in days. Network IT teams can adopt an agile, software-based DevOps model and remove the provisioning time and hardware dependency of traditional WAN and security architectures
Improve Performance and Security
Xtel’s solutions automatically identify over 2,500 applications and, based on business policies, access technology and assign the appropriate WAN. Resulting in overall lower WAN costs and better application performance.
Additional security functions can also be applied to the application traffic using direct Internet access, enabling stronger branch security, although MPLS traffic may not require it.
Simplify Support and Operations
Significantly reduce time spent on managing network and security services at the branch with zero-touch provisioning and centralized management – enterprises have experienced up to 50% in opex savings.
Utilizing the ‘big data’ analytics software in the SD-WAN and Security solutions, Xtel provides deep visibility and real-time intelligence into all networking and security functions to further simplify ongoing operations