Michigan businesses are increasingly looking for ways to optimize their network performance, reduce costs, and enhance flexibility. Traditional WAN solutions like MPLS and VPNs are no longer sufficient to meet the demands of today’s digital landscape. This is where Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) comes in.
What is SD-WAN?
SD-WAN is a software-based technology that overlays existing network infrastructure to create a virtual WAN. It intelligently selects the best path for data transmission based on factors such as network congestion, application performance and circuit conditions. Here at The Telcom Broker, we are experts in determining your network needs, and then selecting a provider, assisting in the network design and implementation process.
Why Choose SD-WAN Over MPLS or VPN?
- Cost Savings: One of the most compelling reasons to adopt SD-WAN is cost reduction. MPLS networks are typically expensive due to dedicated circuits, single carrier requirements and complex management. SD-WAN, on the other hand, can leverage existing internet connections with disparate ISPs significantly reducing network costs. By utilizing multiples circuits per branch, this technology optimizes network traffic and intelligently routes data on the fly, some deployments allow for sub second failover at the branch level. SD-WAN ensures efficient utilization of bandwidth, further contributing to cost savings.
- Improved Performance: SD-WAN offers superior application performance compared to traditional MPLS or VPN WAN solutions. By intelligently routing traffic, prioritizing critical applications across multiple circuits, SD-WAN ensures smooth operations for business-critical processes. This is especially important for applications like video conferencing, cloud-based services, and VoIP. Traditional WAN solutions often struggle to deliver consistent application performance, especially for real or near real time applications. SD-WAN addresses this challenge by providing application-aware routing, prioritization, and optimization. This translates to faster application response times, enhanced user experience, and increased productivity for Michigan businesses.
- Increased Flexibility and Agility: In today’s dynamic business environment, agility is crucial. SD-WAN offers unparalleled flexibility by enabling businesses to quickly add, remove, or change best effort business class cable and ADSL network connections. This is particularly beneficial for Michigan companies with multiple locations, small 1- or 2-person branches, or those experiencing rapid growth. Additionally, SD-WAN simplifies network management, allowing IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than mundane tasks.
- Enhanced Security: SD-WAN edge devices incorporate encryption and advanced security features to protect sensitive data. Some providers also offer network-based managed security services, whereby the company’s internet access is handled in the cloud with single or High Availability (HA) firewalls in an east-west deployment.This allows for a lower overall operating cost, as the customer need not buy and manage firewalls, we lose the hub and spoke network topology and hence also lose the need to backhaul all internet traffic to a company HQ or datacenter, so we can design the network with lower bandwidth branch and HQ circuits. What’s not to like? With fully managed built-in firewalls, encryption, and fully managed security services like DDoS mitigation, businesses can reduce cyber threats and ensure circuit and network data security all with the same provider.
- Simplified Management: SD-WAN simplifies company IT network management through a centralized dashboard provisioned with various customer specified levels of authority. This allows IT teams to monitor and manage network performance, troubleshoot issues, and make changes as needed if required without engaging the provider. However, it should be noted that the robust CPE and network protocol of most SD-WAN networks need no intervention on a daily basis
Supporting Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Michigan’s diverse climate and potential for natural disasters make business continuity a top priority. SD-WAN plays a vital role in disaster recovery plans. Rapid site recovery, SD-WAN can quickly restore network connectivity to disaster-affected sites, especially if branches are provisioned with at least one wireless circuit.
- Failover and load balancing: SD-WAN automatically reroutes traffic to available paths in case of network failures. Improved data protection, SD-WAN can be integrated with data backup and recovery solutions for enhanced protection.
Seamless Cloud Integration
The cloud is becoming increasingly essential for Michigan businesses. SD-WAN is designed to optimize cloud connectivity, providing seamless access via shortest hops to cloud applications and services. By accelerating cloud adoption, SD-WAN empowers Michigan companies to leverage the benefits of cloud computing, such as cost savings, scalability, and increased productivity.
Conclusion
SD-WAN is a powerful tool that can transform the way Michigan businesses operate. By offering cost savings, improved performance, increased flexibility, enhanced security, and simplified management, SD-WAN empowers organizations to stay competitive in the digital age. If you’re looking to optimize your network infrastructure and drive business growth, it’s time to consider SD-WAN.