A Powerful Combination for Network Security and Performance
In today’s digital age, businesses rely heavily on their wide area networks to operate efficiently. As network services lead to enhanced complexity, and cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, so does the need for robust security measures. SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) and managed firewall services offer a powerful combination to address these challenges.
SD-WAN: A Modern Network Architecture
SD-WAN is a revolutionary approach to networking that leverages software-defined principles to optimize network performance. Unlike traditional WAN architectures, SD-WAN centralizes network control, enabling businesses to manage their networks more efficiently. Key benefits of SD-WAN include:
- Improved Application Performance: SD-WAN can optimize network traffic flow, ensuring that critical applications receive the bandwidth and resources they need to perform optimally.
- Enhanced Flexibility and Scalability: SD-WAN architectures are highly flexible and can be easily adapted to changing business needs.
- Reduced Costs: SD-WAN can help businesses reduce network operational costs by eliminating the need for inhouse IT support, expensive hardware and licenses and simplifying network management. Additional savings and benefits of bundled managed security, as end point deployments or in the cloud are enormous.
Managed Firewall Services: Essential for Network Security
A firewall is a security device that acts as a barrier between a private network and the public internet. Managed firewall services provide businesses with a comprehensive security solution, including:
- Threat Prevention: Managed firewall services can protect against a wide range of cyber threats, such as malware, viruses, and hackers.
- Intrusion Detection and Prevention: Firewalls can detect and block malicious activity, preventing unauthorized access to your network.
- Data Loss Prevention: Managed firewall services can help prevent sensitive data from being leaked outside your organization.
- Compliance Management: Firewalls can help businesses comply with industry regulations, such as HIPAA and PCI DSS.
- Forget Traditional Managed security : Traditional firewall security required end point devices to secure the traffic from a semi private cloud or split tunnel internet access to the customer’s LAN. Increasingly we are designing and implementing network-based managed security, where the firewalls are INSIDE the customer private cloud, fully managed by the WAN provider and thus negates the need for end point CPE deployment, licensing and maintaining all those individual location-based firewalls. This provides massive savings in both cost and management effort, as well as increasing security aspects of the entire WAN. Since all traffic is managed in the SD-WAN VRF, no more split tunnel and security issues at each node.
The Benefits of Combining SD-WAN and Managed Firewall Services
When combined, SD-WAN and network based managed firewall services offer a powerful solution for network security and performance. Here are some of the key benefits:
- Enhanced Network Security: SD-WAN can help improve network security by providing a more centralized and efficient way to manage network traffic. Network based managed firewall services add an extra layer of protection by blocking malicious activity at the WAN’s internet POP. Additional designs include redundant High Availability (HA) firewalls in an east west orientation with a minimum of 500 nautical miles of separation, providing near instantaneous fail-over between the providers primary and recovery Data Centers (DCs)
- Optimized Application Performance: SD-WAN can ensure that critical applications receive the resources they need to perform optimally, while network based managed firewall services protect these applications from cyber threats, arresting them at the point of presence BEFORE ENTRY to the network.
- Reduced Costs: SD-WAN and network-based firewall services help businesses reduce network operational costs by simplifying network management and reducing the need for all that expensive hardware at each node.
- Improved Business Agility: SD-WAN with network firewall service can help businesses be more agile by enabling quick adoption to changing business needs. New nodes can be quickly deployed and joined into the WAN by simply provisioning a couple of best effort 5G and cable circuits on an SD-WAN box, while awaiting the longer install intervals of primary circuits to be turned up when ready.
In conclusion, SD-WAN and managed firewall services are essential tools for businesses looking to consolidate and enhance enterprise-wide network security and performance. The Telecom Broker has over 25 years’ experience in provider selection, network design and negotiating competitive pricing of this class of service. By combining these technologies inside the network and allowing the provider to seamlessly manage the entire network, businesses can benefit from enhanced security, optimized application performance, reduced costs, and improved business agility. Visit our SD-WAN category for more.